PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 5, 2026
As thousands of Maine homeowners face the daunting cost of testing their wells for forever chemicals, new state research suggests that an affordable mail-in kit may provide a reliable alternative. The state is providing free water testing and home filtration systems for those who live near known hot spots. Others who want to know if PFAS are lurking in their private well must pay for their own test, which isn’t cheap. Although prices have come down in recent years, the cost of a professional analysis conducted by a state-accredited lab will run between $250 to $500. In response to a surge of calls from concerned citizens, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention recently completed a first-of-its-kind study to determine if an $85 home test kit, made by the Illinois-based Cyclopure, can offer cheaper yet trustworthy test results.