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Community Water System · PWS ME0091500

Starks Water District

Anson, Maine 04911 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 45 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

45
People served
215
EPA violations
6
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 215 drinking-water violations at Starks Water District, 3% of them health-based - above the Maine per-system average.

215
Total EPA violations on record
3%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
45
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Starks Water District

Starks Water District is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 45 residents in Anson, Maine (Somerset County) through 18 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 215 total violations for this system , of which 6 (3%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 174 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 Lead and Copper Rule, recorded in 21 violations (MR). 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, 10 of 41 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (24.4%).

Starks Water District's 215 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
45
Total Violations
215
Health-Based Violations
6
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
18
County
Somerset
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
6
Monitoring Violations
174
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Lead and Copper Rule MR 21 2024
Coliform (TCR) MR 19 2010
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 16 2011
Public Notice Other 8 2011
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 8 2021
Chlorine MR 6 2005
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 6 2008
Coliform (TCR) MCL 6 1996
TTHM MR 6 2008
CHLOROBENZENE MR 4 1996
Toluene MR 4 1996
Ethylbenzene MR 4 1996
Styrene MR 4 1996
Vinyl chloride MR 4 1996
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 4 1996
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 4 1996
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 4 1996
Carbon tetrachloride MR 4 1996
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 4 1996
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 4 1996
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 4 1996
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 4 1996
Trichloroethylene MR 4 1996
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 4 1996
Benzene MR 4 1996
Tetrachloroethylene MR 4 1996
Nitrate MR 4 1995
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 3 2016
Xylenes, Total MR 3 1996
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 3 1996

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 Starks 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 ME0091500 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 21 SDWIS / ME0091500 / 5000
2021 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 8 SDWIS / ME0091500 / 8000
2016 Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 3 SDWIS / ME0091500 / 4010
2016 Asbestos MR 3 SDWIS / ME0091500 / 1094
2011 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 16 SDWIS / ME0091500 / 7000
2011 Public Notice Other 8 SDWIS / ME0091500 / 7500
2010 Coliform (TCR) MR 19 SDWIS / ME0091500 / 3100
2008 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 6 SDWIS / ME0091500 / 2456
2008 TTHM MR 6 SDWIS / ME0091500 / 2950
2005 Chlorine MR 6 SDWIS / ME0091500 / 0999
1996 Coliform (TCR) MCL 6 SDWIS / ME0091500 / 3100
1996 CHLOROBENZENE MR 4 SDWIS / ME0091500 / 2989
1996 Toluene MR 4 SDWIS / ME0091500 / 2991
1996 Ethylbenzene MR 4 SDWIS / ME0091500 / 2992
1996 Styrene MR 4 SDWIS / ME0091500 / 2996

How Starks Water District Compares

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

Metric Starks Water District Maine avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 215 79.8 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 6 12.7 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 24.4% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 45 502 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 Starks Water District water safe to drink? ▼
Starks Water District (PWS ID: ME0091500) has 215 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 45 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Starks Water District serve? ▼
Starks Water District serves 45 people in Anson, Maine. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 18 service connections.
What type of violations does Starks Water District have? ▼
Starks Water District has 215 total violations: 6 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 174 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Starks Water District water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Starks Water District under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Starks Water District use? ▼
Starks Water District 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.