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Community Water System · PWS ME0092060

South Penobscot Water Association

Penobscot, Maine 04476 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 38 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

38
People served
98
EPA violations
0
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 98 drinking-water violations at South Penobscot Water Association - above the Maine per-system average.

98
Total EPA violations on record
0%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
38
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: South Penobscot Water Association

South Penobscot Water Association is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 38 residents in Penobscot, Maine (Hancock County) through 15 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 98 total violations for this system , of which 0 (0%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 84 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 16 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%).

South Penobscot Water Association's 98 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
38
Total Violations
98
Health-Based Violations
0
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
15
County
Hancock
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
84
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Lead and Copper Rule MR 16 2024
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 14 2024
Coliform (TCR) MR 6 2001
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 4 2020
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 4 2012
Diquat MR 4 2015
Endothall MR 4 2015
Picloram MR 4 2015
2,4-D MR 4 2015
Pentachlorophenol MR 4 2015
Total Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) MR 4 2015
Toxaphene MR 4 2015
Chlordane MR 4 2015
Dalapon MR 4 2015
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 4 2005
2,4,5-TP MR 4 2015
TTHM MR 4 2005
Dinoseb MR 4 2015
Nitrate MR 2 1995

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 South Penobscot Water Association.

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 ME0092060 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 16 SDWIS / ME0092060 / 5000
2024 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 14 SDWIS / ME0092060 / 7000
2020 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 4 SDWIS / ME0092060 / 8000
2015 Diquat MR 4 SDWIS / ME0092060 / 2032
2015 Endothall MR 4 SDWIS / ME0092060 / 2033
2015 Picloram MR 4 SDWIS / ME0092060 / 2040
2015 2,4-D MR 4 SDWIS / ME0092060 / 2105
2015 Pentachlorophenol MR 4 SDWIS / ME0092060 / 2326
2015 Total Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) MR 4 SDWIS / ME0092060 / 2383
2015 Toxaphene MR 4 SDWIS / ME0092060 / 2020
2015 Chlordane MR 4 SDWIS / ME0092060 / 2959
2015 Dalapon MR 4 SDWIS / ME0092060 / 2031
2015 2,4,5-TP MR 4 SDWIS / ME0092060 / 2110
2015 Dinoseb MR 4 SDWIS / ME0092060 / 2041
2012 Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 4 SDWIS / ME0092060 / 4010

How South Penobscot Water Association Compares

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

Metric South Penobscot Water Association Maine avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 98 79.8 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 0 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 38 502 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 South Penobscot Water Association water safe to drink? ▼
South Penobscot Water Association (PWS ID: ME0092060) has 98 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 38 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does South Penobscot Water Association serve? ▼
South Penobscot Water Association serves 38 people in Penobscot, Maine. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 15 service connections.
What type of violations does South Penobscot Water Association have? ▼
South Penobscot Water Association has 98 total violations: 0 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 84 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in South Penobscot Water Association water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for South Penobscot Water Association under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does South Penobscot Water Association use? ▼
South Penobscot Water Association 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.