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Community Water System · PWS NH0061010

Alton Water Works

Alton, New Hampshire 03809 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 1,800 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

1,800
People served
421
EPA violations
66
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 421 drinking-water violations at Alton Water Works, 16% of them health-based - above the New Hampshire per-system average.

421
Total EPA violations on record
16%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
1,800
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Alton Water Works

Alton Water Works is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 1,800 residents in Alton, New Hampshire (Belknap County) through 712 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 421 total violations for this system , of which 66 (16%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 344 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2020.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 54 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 New Hampshire, EPA tracks 2,453 public water systems serving 1,242,123 people, with 155,970 cumulative violations and 29,649 health-based violations on record. About 90% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 63.6 violations. Statewide, 23 of 51 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (45.1%).

Alton Water Works's 421 violations sit above the New Hampshire 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
1,800
Total Violations
421
Health-Based Violations
66
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
712
County
Belknap
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
66
Monitoring Violations
344
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MCL 54 2011
Coliform (TCR) MR 20 2012
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 10 2014
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 10 2014
Xylenes, Total MR 10 2014
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 10 2014
Vinyl chloride MR 10 2014
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 10 2014
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 10 2014
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 10 2014
Carbon tetrachloride MR 10 2014
Trichloroethylene MR 10 2014
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 10 2014
Tetrachloroethylene MR 10 2014
CHLOROBENZENE MR 10 2014
Benzene MR 10 2014
Ethylbenzene MR 10 2014
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 10 2014
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 10 2014
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 10 2014
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 10 2014
Toluene MR 10 2014
Styrene MR 10 2014
Nitrate MR 10 2014
Barium MR 8 2014
Chromium MR 8 2014
Selenium MR 8 2014
Antimony, Total MR 8 2014
Beryllium, Total MR 8 2014
Arsenic MCL 8 2020

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 Alton Water Works.

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 NH0061010 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

New Hampshire Drinking Water Authority

New Hampshire'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 NH 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
2020 Arsenic MCL 8 SDWIS / NH0061010 / 1005
2014 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 10 SDWIS / NH0061010 / 2378
2014 cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 10 SDWIS / NH0061010 / 2380
2014 Xylenes, Total MR 10 SDWIS / NH0061010 / 2955
2014 p-Dichlorobenzene MR 10 SDWIS / NH0061010 / 2969
2014 Vinyl chloride MR 10 SDWIS / NH0061010 / 2976
2014 1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 10 SDWIS / NH0061010 / 2977
2014 trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 10 SDWIS / NH0061010 / 2979
2014 1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 10 SDWIS / NH0061010 / 2981
2014 Carbon tetrachloride MR 10 SDWIS / NH0061010 / 2982
2014 Trichloroethylene MR 10 SDWIS / NH0061010 / 2984
2014 1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 10 SDWIS / NH0061010 / 2985
2014 Tetrachloroethylene MR 10 SDWIS / NH0061010 / 2987
2014 CHLOROBENZENE MR 10 SDWIS / NH0061010 / 2989
2014 Benzene MR 10 SDWIS / NH0061010 / 2990

How Alton Water Works Compares

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

Metric Alton Water Works New Hampshire avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 421 63.6 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 66 12.1 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 45.1% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 1,800 506 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 2,453 regulated public water systems in New Hampshire.

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 Alton Water Works water safe to drink? ▼
Alton Water Works (PWS ID: NH0061010) has 421 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 1,800 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Alton Water Works serve? ▼
Alton Water Works serves 1,800 people in Alton, New Hampshire. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 712 service connections.
What type of violations does Alton Water Works have? ▼
Alton Water Works has 421 total violations: 66 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 344 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Alton Water Works water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Alton Water Works under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Alton Water Works use? ▼
Alton Water Works 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.