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Community Water System · PWS ME0090310

Canton Water District

Canton, Maine 04221 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 243 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

243
People served
344
EPA violations
287
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 344 drinking-water violations at Canton Water District, 83% of them health-based - above the Maine per-system average.

344
Total EPA violations on record
83%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
243
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Canton Water District

Canton Water District is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 243 residents in Canton, Maine (Oxford County) through 97 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 344 total violations for this system , of which 287 (83%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 43 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2024.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is TTHM, recorded in 155 violations (MCL, health-based). This system has not yet been sampled under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, so no PFAS detection data is available here.

Across Maine, EPA tracks 1,864 public water systems serving 936,624 people, with 148,796 cumulative violations and 23,741 health-based violations on record. About 94% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 79.8 violations. Statewide, 14 of 41 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (34.1%).

Canton Water District's 344 violations sit above the Maine average.

All figures above are sourced directly from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 public data releases and are updated as EPA publishes new reporting cycles.

Population Served
243
Total Violations
344
Health-Based Violations
287
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
97
County
Oxford
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
284
Monitoring Violations
43
Treatment Tech Violations
3

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
TTHM MCL 155 2013
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL 126 2020
Coliform (TCR) MR 12 2005
Lead and Copper Rule MR 11 2024
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 8 2019
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 4 2013
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 4 2024
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 4 2021
TTHM MR 4 2024
Coliform (TCR) MCL 3 1996
Lead and Copper Rule TT 2 2024
Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 1 1992

Verify This Water System

The figures above are aggregated from EPA's public databases. To verify the underlying records, or to file a complaint, request a Consumer Confidence Report, or check current monitoring status, go directly to the federal and state regulators that enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act for Canton Water District.

Federal Source of Truth

EPA SDWIS, Federal Reports

EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) holds the federal compliance record for every regulated public water system. Open the system-level report by PWS ID:

View PWS ID ME0090310 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Maine Drinking Water Authority

Maine's primacy agency administers the Safe Drinking Water Act locally. Search EPA SDWIS for the current state contact, or use the state's public health or environment department portal.

Find ME regulator via EPA SDWIS

Violation Timeline

Each row links to the EPA SDWIS public record for verification. Cross-reference the contaminant code on EPA's federal report to see violation dates, return-to-compliance status, and enforcement actions.

Year (latest) Contaminant Category Count EPA Record
2024 Lead and Copper Rule MR 11 SDWIS / ME0090310 / 5000
2024 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 4 SDWIS / ME0090310 / 2456
2024 TTHM MR 4 SDWIS / ME0090310 / 2950
2024 Lead and Copper Rule TT 2 SDWIS / ME0090310 / 5000
2021 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 4 SDWIS / ME0090310 / 7000
2020 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL 126 SDWIS / ME0090310 / 2456
2019 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 8 SDWIS / ME0090310 / 8000
2013 TTHM MCL 155 SDWIS / ME0090310 / 2950
2013 Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 4 SDWIS / ME0090310 / 4010
2005 Coliform (TCR) MR 12 SDWIS / ME0090310 / 3100
1996 Coliform (TCR) MCL 3 SDWIS / ME0090310 / 3100
1992 Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 1 SDWIS / ME0090310 / 0200

How Canton Water District Compares

Cross-reference this system's record against state averages and the federal MCL framework for context.

Metric Canton Water District Maine avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 344 79.8 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 287 12.7 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 34.1% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 243 502 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 1,864 regulated public water systems in Maine.

Federal MCL reference, Safe Drinking Water Act thresholds ▼
Contaminant Federal MCL / Action Level Note
Lead 0 mg/L (Action Level: 0.015 mg/L) Lead and Copper Rule treatment technique
Arsenic 0.010 mg/L (10 ppb) Health-based MCL since 2006
Total Coliform Treatment technique (RTCR) Indicator organism, monitoring trigger
PFOA / PFOS (PFAS) 4.0 ppt each (final 2024 rule) Compliance deadline 2029 (EPA proposed extending to 2031, not yet final as of May 2026)
Nitrate (as N) 10 mg/L Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Canton Water District water safe to drink? ▼
Canton Water District (PWS ID: ME0090310) has 344 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 243 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Canton Water District serve? ▼
Canton Water District serves 243 people in Canton, Maine. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 97 service connections.
What type of violations does Canton Water District have? ▼
Canton Water District has 344 total violations: 287 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 43 monitoring/reporting violations, and 3 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Canton Water District water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Canton Water District under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Canton Water District use? ▼
Canton Water District uses Surface Water as its primary water source. It is classified as a Community Water System (CWS), serving residential populations year-round.
Where does this data come from? ▼
All data comes from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and the UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program. SDWIS tracks compliance for all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Data Sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), Q4 2025. This data is provided for informational purposes only.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 PFAS monitoring data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainWater Editorial

Every figure on PlainWater is rendered directly from EPA SDWIS drinking-water data, no number is typed in by an editor. This system's figures are rendered directly from EPA SDWIS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.