The U.S. Drought Monitor map released this week tells the story in one glance. As of the August 18 map, 92.69 percent of Maine is at least abnormally dry, 53.65 percent is in moderate drought or worse, and 5.44 percent of the state has slipped into severe drought. New Hampshire is not far behind, with 73.73 percent of the state abnormally dry and 18.8 percent in moderate drought. This is the second dry year in a row. Maine’s Drought Task Force closed out 2025 with 541 dry wells reported to MEMA’s voluntary survey, and the counties that led that list, Oxford, Somerset, Cumberland, and York, are squarely in this year’s dry zone again.
If you are buying a home with a private well in Maine or New Hampshire right now, that map matters more than the paint color. A large share of the homes we inspect outside of town centers are on wells, and a drought summer changes what an inspection can tell you, mostly for the better.
A drought is the honest test of a well
Here is the thing most buyers have backwards. A well that performs in late August of a drought year has passed a harder exam than a well tested in April, when snowmelt has the water table riding high. We have inspected homes where the same well that filled a pressure tank without complaint in spring was pulling air by Labor Day. If you are under contract this month, you are seeing the well at close to its seasonal worst. That is useful information, and it only comes around in years like this one.
During an inspection we run water the way a family actually uses it. Multiple fixtures at once, tub filling while the washing machine calls for water, and we watch what happens. A healthy system holds pressure and the pump cycles in a steady rhythm. A stressed well shows its hand in small ways first. The pump short-cycles or runs long to recover. Pressure sags noticeably when a second fixture opens. Faucet aerators are packed with fresh grit, because a pump pulling from the bottom of a low column picks up sediment it would normally never touch. Water that carries a faint brown tint after a few minutes of steady draw is telling you the water level is closer to the pump intake than anyone wants.
What the seller’s well history is worth this year
Ask the seller directly, in writing, whether the well has ever run dry, been deepened, or been hydrofractured, and whether they cut back water use this summer or last. In 2025, hundreds of Maine households reported dry wells, and those homes did not stop changing hands. A seller who spent last fall hauling water knows something you should know before the due diligence clock runs out. Shallow dug wells, common on older Maine and New Hampshire properties, are the first to fail in a drought and the ones we look at hardest. A drilled well with 300 feet of standing water above the pump is a different animal than a 20 foot dug well with a concrete tile casing, and plenty of older homes still run on the latter.
One caution from the state that we repeat to clients every dry year: if a well does go dry, do not pay someone to dump water into it. The Maine CDC Drinking Water Program warns that refilling a dry well rarely works, can introduce contamination, and can damage the well or the pump. Bottled or hauled water is the stopgap while you and a well contractor work out the real fix.
Quantity is only half the question
Drought changes water quality too. When the column drops, the minerals and sediment that were diluted all year become a bigger share of every gallon. Wells that tested fine at higher water levels can show different numbers at the bottom of a dry summer. FPI collects samples and coordinates the lab analysis as part of the inspection visit, so the quality answer arrives alongside the condition report instead of weeks later. The same low water table is worth a thought on radon as well, and our radon testing covers both air and water where the property calls for it.
The septic side deserves a mention because drought flatters it. A leach field that would show effluent breakout in a normal wet spring can look clean when the ground is this dry. That is one reason a septic inspection with a load test beats a walkover, in any season but especially this one.
What New Hampshire buyers should check this week
On the New Hampshire side, NHDES tracks drought status and maintains the list of towns with outdoor water restrictions. Under RSA 41:11-d a municipality can restrict lawn watering even for homes on private wells, so check whether the town you are buying into is on that list. NHDES also runs a dry well reporting form and an emergency assistance program for households whose wells fail, which tells you the state considers this a live problem, not a hypothetical.
None of this should scare you off a well. Most of them come through a drought year without drama, and owning your own water source is one of the quiet perks of rural property in northern New England. But this is the summer to walk in with your eyes open. If you have questions about a specific property, our inspection FAQ covers the basics, and you can reach the Maine and New Hampshire office at (207) 839-6595.