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Community Water System · PWS NH0351010

Canaan Water Dept

Canaan, New Hampshire 03741 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 684 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

684
People served
261
EPA violations
182
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 261 drinking-water violations at Canaan Water Dept, 70% of them health-based - above the New Hampshire per-system average.

261
Total EPA violations on record
70%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
684
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Canaan Water Dept

Canaan Water Dept is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 684 residents in Canaan, New Hampshire (Grafton County) through 203 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 261 total violations for this system , of which 182 (70%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 55 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 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5), recorded in 91 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%).

Canaan Water Dept's 261 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
684
Total Violations
261
Health-Based Violations
182
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
203
County
Grafton
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
164
Monitoring Violations
55
Treatment Tech Violations
18

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL 91 2010
TTHM MCL 73 2022
Public Notice Other 12 2023
Lead and Copper Rule MR 12 2022
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 12 2024
TTHM MR 12 2024
Coliform (TCR) MR 11 2010
Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 10 2001
Lead and Copper Rule TT 8 2014
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 8 2024
Revised Total Coliform Rule RPT 8 2024
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 2013

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 Canaan 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 NH0351010 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
2024 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 12 SDWIS / NH0351010 / 2456
2024 TTHM MR 12 SDWIS / NH0351010 / 2950
2024 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 8 SDWIS / NH0351010 / 8000
2024 Revised Total Coliform Rule RPT 8 SDWIS / NH0351010 / 8000
2023 Public Notice Other 12 SDWIS / NH0351010 / 7500
2022 TTHM MCL 73 SDWIS / NH0351010 / 2950
2022 Lead and Copper Rule MR 12 SDWIS / NH0351010 / 5000
2014 Lead and Copper Rule TT 8 SDWIS / NH0351010 / 5000
2013 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 SDWIS / NH0351010 / 7000
2010 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL 91 SDWIS / NH0351010 / 2456
2010 Coliform (TCR) MR 11 SDWIS / NH0351010 / 3100
2001 Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 10 SDWIS / NH0351010 / 0200

How Canaan Water Dept Compares

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

Metric Canaan Water Dept New Hampshire avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 261 63.6 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 182 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 684 506 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 Canaan Water Dept water safe to drink? ▼
Canaan Water Dept (PWS ID: NH0351010) has 261 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 684 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Canaan Water Dept serve? ▼
Canaan Water Dept serves 684 people in Canaan, New Hampshire. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 203 service connections.
What type of violations does Canaan Water Dept have? ▼
Canaan Water Dept has 261 total violations: 182 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 55 monitoring/reporting violations, and 18 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Canaan Water Dept water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Canaan Water Dept under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Canaan Water Dept use? ▼
Canaan Water Dept 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.