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Community Water System · PWS ME0090720

Island Falls Water Dept

Island Falls, Maine 04747 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 475 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

475
People served
145
EPA violations
19
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 145 drinking-water violations at Island Falls Water Dept, 13% of them health-based - above the Maine per-system average.

145
Total EPA violations on record
13%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
475
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Island Falls Water Dept

Island Falls Water Dept is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 475 residents in Island Falls, Maine (Aroostook County) through 190 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 145 total violations for this system , of which 19 (13%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 120 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2025.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Arsenic, recorded in 16 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%).

Island Falls Water Dept's 145 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
475
Total Violations
145
Health-Based Violations
19
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
190
County
Aroostook
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
16
Monitoring Violations
120
Treatment Tech Violations
3

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Arsenic MCL 16 2007
Coliform (TCR) MR 13 2014
Lead and Copper Rule MR 8 2008
Nitrate MR 8 2021
Arsenic MR 7 2025
Endrin MR 7 2015
BHC-GAMMA MR 7 2015
Methoxychlor MR 7 2015
Simazine MR 7 2015
Hexachlorocyclopentadiene MR 7 2015
Heptachlor MR 7 2015
Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate MR 7 2015
LASSO MR 7 2015
Heptachlor epoxide MR 7 2015
HEXACHLOROBENZENE MR 7 2015
Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 7 2015
Atrazine MR 7 2015
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 2011
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 Island Falls Water Dept.

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 ME0090720 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
2025 Arsenic MR 7 SDWIS / ME0090720 / 1005
2024 Lead and Copper Rule TT 2 SDWIS / ME0090720 / 5000
2021 Nitrate MR 8 SDWIS / ME0090720 / 1040
2015 Endrin MR 7 SDWIS / ME0090720 / 2005
2015 BHC-GAMMA MR 7 SDWIS / ME0090720 / 2010
2015 Methoxychlor MR 7 SDWIS / ME0090720 / 2015
2015 Simazine MR 7 SDWIS / ME0090720 / 2037
2015 Hexachlorocyclopentadiene MR 7 SDWIS / ME0090720 / 2042
2015 Heptachlor MR 7 SDWIS / ME0090720 / 2065
2015 Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate MR 7 SDWIS / ME0090720 / 2039
2015 LASSO MR 7 SDWIS / ME0090720 / 2051
2015 Heptachlor epoxide MR 7 SDWIS / ME0090720 / 2067
2015 HEXACHLOROBENZENE MR 7 SDWIS / ME0090720 / 2274
2015 Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 7 SDWIS / ME0090720 / 2035
2015 Atrazine MR 7 SDWIS / ME0090720 / 2050

How Island Falls Water Dept Compares

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

Metric Island Falls Water Dept Maine avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 145 79.8 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 19 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 475 502 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 Island Falls Water Dept water safe to drink? ▼
Island Falls Water Dept (PWS ID: ME0090720) has 145 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 475 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Island Falls Water Dept serve? ▼
Island Falls Water Dept serves 475 people in Island Falls, Maine. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 190 service connections.
What type of violations does Island Falls Water Dept have? ▼
Island Falls Water Dept has 145 total violations: 19 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 120 monitoring/reporting violations, and 3 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Island Falls Water Dept water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Island Falls Water Dept under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Island Falls Water Dept use? ▼
Island Falls Water Dept uses Groundwater 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.