Diagnosis of trace Pb in domestic wells, Upper Gloucester Catchment, Maine, USA

Impact of submersible pumps on Pb constituents in residential wells

Dissolved Pb in 51 domestic wells screened from 18 to 48 m in glacial tills and outwash deposits were examined in conjunction with the characteristics of their corresponding submersible pump. Pb concentrations, ranging from 0.8 to 24.9 microg l(-1), entering residential water supplies were measured during 2001-2004 in the Royal watershed, Maine. Principal component analyses assisted the weighting of pump age, well screen depth, and draw time variables. Preliminary Pb sequestration significance in the boreholes was predicted from geochemical speciation and synchrotron XAS analyses. Nascent 207Pb/206Pb and 208Pb/206Pb isotope analyses assisted the discrimination of possibly leached Pb from submersible pump materials among geogenic sources.