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Community Water System · PWS NH0411010

Charlestown Water Works

Charlestown, New Hampshire 03603 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 2,850 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

2,850
People served
37
EPA violations
15
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 37 drinking-water violations at Charlestown Water Works, 41% of them health-based - below the New Hampshire per-system average.

37
Total EPA violations on record
41%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
2,850
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Charlestown Water Works

Charlestown Water Works is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 2,850 residents in Charlestown, New Hampshire (Sullivan County) through 1,250 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 37 total violations for this system , of which 15 (41%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 12 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2021.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 15 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%).

Charlestown Water Works's 37 violations sit below 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
2,850
Total Violations
37
Health-Based Violations
15
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
1,250
County
Sullivan
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
15
Monitoring Violations
12
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MCL 15 1991
Lead and Copper Rule MR 4 2017
Chlorine MR 4 2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 2 2019
TTHM MR 2 2019
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 2021

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 Charlestown 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 NH0411010 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
2021 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 SDWIS / NH0411010 / 7000
2019 Chlorine MR 4 SDWIS / NH0411010 / 0999
2019 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 2 SDWIS / NH0411010 / 2456
2019 TTHM MR 2 SDWIS / NH0411010 / 2950
2017 Lead and Copper Rule MR 4 SDWIS / NH0411010 / 5000
1991 Coliform (TCR) MCL 15 SDWIS / NH0411010 / 3100

How Charlestown Water Works Compares

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

Metric Charlestown Water Works New Hampshire avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 37 63.6 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 15 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 2,850 506 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 Charlestown Water Works water safe to drink? ▼
Charlestown Water Works (PWS ID: NH0411010) has 37 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 2,850 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Charlestown Water Works serve? ▼
Charlestown Water Works serves 2,850 people in Charlestown, New Hampshire. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 1,250 service connections.
What type of violations does Charlestown Water Works have? ▼
Charlestown Water Works has 37 total violations: 15 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 12 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Charlestown Water Works water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Charlestown Water Works under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Charlestown Water Works use? ▼
Charlestown 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.