ClearWater Laboratory (A Division of Acheron Engineering)

At a glance

Price

from $40 (Nitrate-N), as printed on the lab’s website, read 15 Nov 2026

Turnaround

not stated on the state list or the lab’s website: ask when you order

Homeowner samples

yes (lab’s own website, read 15 Nov 2026)

Lab facts

Listed by

Maine (Maine CDC Drinking Water Program)

Address

Newport, ME · Open in Google Maps

Phone

(207) 368-5786

Website

https://www.acheronengineering.com/

Public / homeowner samples

Homeowner samples: yes (lab’s website)

Maine in-state commercial DW lab list; homeowner acceptance not stated per lab

Certification record

Certificate ID

CLWR

Issued by

Maine CDC Drinking Water Program (certification program)

List version

Maine In-State Commercial Drinking Water Labs, version Last updated 5/16/2026

We fetched it

15 Nov 2026 (file SHA-256 a56c6732c8e8…) · open the state file

Tests on the state list

This list does not break certification down by analyte. Ask the lab which tests it is certified for; the groups as written on the list are below.

• Named on the official list The state list names this analyte (or a column for it) for this lab.
• Group-level certification Certified for a parent group (e.g. 'Inorganics') that includes this analyte. Confirm the specific test with the lab.
• Partial group certification The list marks the group as 'Partial'. Confirm this analyte with the lab.
• Subcontracted The lab sends this analyte to another accredited lab (MDH 'X*').

Maine accredits by test; confirm the specific test with the lab.

Homeowner service and turnaround (lab’s own website)

• Takes homeowner samples: yes. The lab’s site says: “Besides offering drinking water testing to private well owners , ClearWater also handles samples from industries, municipalities, and environmental consultants.” source
• Who collects: You collect the sample with the lab's bottles. source
• By mail or courier: the lab says samples or kits can be shipped. Bacteria samples must reach the lab within its holding time.

From the lab’s own website, read 15 Nov 2026 and re-read by a second checker; next check due by 13 Feb 2027. Certification fields come from the state list only.

Prices the lab prints, compared

• Bacteria (coliform / E. coli): $50 here, $23 more than the state-run lab’s $27 (Bacteria Positivity Test (coliform bacteria and E. coli, pos/neg); Maine Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory web shop (no date shown; a mandatory $2 fee applies to each water test ordered for a residential private drinking water well, and the shop does not say whether listed prices include it), checked ) source.
• Bacteria (coliform / E. coli) against other Maine labs: median $30 across 3 other labs that print a price on their own site; 3 of them charge less than $50.
• Lead: $40 here, $8 more than the state-run lab’s $32 (Lead, first draw; Maine Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory web shop (no date shown; a mandatory $2 fee applies to each water test ordered for a residential private drinking water well, and the shop does not say whether listed prices include it), checked ) source.

Comparison uses the lowest single-test price this lab prints; panels and ranges are left out. For comparison only, not a quote.

Around this lab: Penobscot County, ME

• Private wells: about 81,251 people, 53% of Penobscot County’s 152,692 residents (USGS, 2015); rank 2 of 16 counties in Maine by people on wells.
• At house sale: Statewide (shoreland areas) has a septic system rule (30-A MRSA s.4216). What it requires

• EPA radon zone (indoor air): Zone 1: highest potential (average indoor radon may be greater than 4 pCi/L). EPA says the zone map should not decide whether one home needs testing.
• Arsenic above 10 µg/L (USGS model): about 18,708 private-well users (95% range 15,590 to 22,028; 2010 base), rank 1 of 16 in the state. A screening estimate, not a measurement of any well.
• Older homes (Census ACS 2020–2024): 54% of 75,683 housing units were built before 1980, about the same as the state share of 54%. Homes built before 1986 are more likely to have lead solder or fittings, so test tap water for lead there.
• PFAS in public water nearby (public supply, not your well): 5 public systems serving this county reported EPA UCMR 5 results; 0 had a PFOA or PFOS sample at or above 4.0 ng/L.

County figures describe where the lab is, not the lab. Sources: USGS 2015 water use and 2017 arsenic estimates, EPA radon zones, Census ACS table B25034 (2020–2024), EPA UCMR 5 (2023–2026); details and links on the sources page.

Before you send a sample

Call the lab to confirm it's currently certified for the exact test and method, that it accepts samples from homeowners, and how to collect and ship them. Bacteria samples have short holding times. Status can change between list updates. To check a status, contact the Maine certification program.

Is this your lab?

Labs can ask for corrections through the agency that publishes their state list. Homeowner service, prices and turnaround above come only from the lab’s own website. To ask us to correct or remove this listing, write to us (how we handle listings).