Water Tests Delayed in Arrowsic and Georgetown

August 13, 2025

It is with disappointment that the WaterWise Team shares the news that the water sampling effort we planned for this summer has been postponed until next summer. Although everyone did all they could, the blame ultimately lies with continued delay in funding (not yet received) which was out of our hands. We will be in touch with each participant soon with more information soon.

Once the funding is received later this month, we still have a lot we can accomplish including:

  • Conducting well sampling and field water quality screening of wells in targeted areas in Arrowsic and Georgetown. This field screening of water quality will provide valuable information that can be used to optimize the more costly laboratory sampling program.
  • Testing and evaluation of the town wells including determining options and costs for solutions if needed (so we can start raising money to fix it).
  • Hosting educational programs with experts on groundwater issues and water conservation including a program by Jesica Meeks, hydrogeologist with Maine Geological Survey.
  • Identifying potential wells for continuous monitoring with data loggers to be included in the Maine Geological Survey Monitoring network
  • Recruiting more participants (click here for the well survey to join in)

We deeply appreciate all the landowners who completed the well survey (almost 100 in Arrowsic and 180 in Georgetown!) and look forward to working with you next spring to schedule your water test. We thank you for your understanding and patience as we strive to make Arrowsic and Georgetown more resilient!

If you have any questions, feel free to contact either:

Jody Jones ~ Arrowsic Resilience Committee chair (jodyinarrowsic@gmail.com) or

Jessica Weller ~ Georgetown Conservation Commission chair (jessica@troopweller.com)

Joint Grant Awarded to Arrowsic and Georgetown

May 15, 2025

The towns of Arrowsic and Georgetown were recently awarded a $170,000 joint Community Resilience grant to assess each island’s groundwater vulnerability in our changing climate. This grant was awarded from the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future (GOPIF). Through this grant we plan to: collect data about wells and septic, offer free water tests, identify local strategies to enhance groundwater, access emergency water sources, establish an aquifer monitoring network with the Maine Geological Survey and conduct community outreach about wells, water conservation, septic maintenance and more.

Work on the grant will start this summer and take place over the next two years. Please look out for information about our project at our Town Meetings. We hope to host project Kickoff meetings in early July. If you have any questions, please email conserv04548@gmail.com.

This is an exciting collaboration with our island neighbors.