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Community Water System · PWS NH1291010

Lancaster Water Dept

Lancaster, New Hampshire 03584 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 2,450 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

2,450
People served
217
EPA violations
23
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 217 drinking-water violations at Lancaster Water Dept, 11% of them health-based - above the New Hampshire per-system average.

217
Total EPA violations on record
11%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
2,450
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Lancaster Water Dept

Lancaster Water Dept is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 2,450 residents in Lancaster, New Hampshire (Coos County) through 975 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 217 total violations for this system , of which 23 (11%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 180 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2018.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5), recorded in 16 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%).

Lancaster Water Dept's 217 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
2,450
Total Violations
217
Health-Based Violations
23
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
975
County
Coos
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
22
Monitoring Violations
180
Treatment Tech Violations
1

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL 16 2018
Nitrate MR 15 1995
Coliform (TCR) MCL 6 1995
Arsenic MR 5 1995
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 5 1995
Cadmium MR 5 1995
Chromium MR 5 1995
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 5 1995
CYANIDE MR 5 1995
Fluoride MR 5 1995
Vinyl chloride MR 5 1995
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 5 1995
Antimony, Total MR 5 1995
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 5 1995
Carbon tetrachloride MR 5 1995
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 5 1995
Trichloroethylene MR 5 1995
Styrene MR 5 1995
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 5 1995
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 5 1995
Nickel MR 5 1995
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 5 1995
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 5 1995
Benzene MR 5 1995
CHLOROBENZENE MR 5 1995
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 5 1995
Selenium MR 5 1995
Barium MR 5 1995
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 5 1995
Ethylbenzene MR 5 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 Lancaster 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 NH1291010 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
2018 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL 16 SDWIS / NH1291010 / 2456
1995 Nitrate MR 15 SDWIS / NH1291010 / 1040
1995 Coliform (TCR) MCL 6 SDWIS / NH1291010 / 3100
1995 Arsenic MR 5 SDWIS / NH1291010 / 1005
1995 cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 5 SDWIS / NH1291010 / 2380
1995 Cadmium MR 5 SDWIS / NH1291010 / 1015
1995 Chromium MR 5 SDWIS / NH1291010 / 1020
1995 DICHLOROMETHANE MR 5 SDWIS / NH1291010 / 2964
1995 CYANIDE MR 5 SDWIS / NH1291010 / 1024
1995 Fluoride MR 5 SDWIS / NH1291010 / 1025
1995 Vinyl chloride MR 5 SDWIS / NH1291010 / 2976
1995 trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 5 SDWIS / NH1291010 / 2979
1995 Antimony, Total MR 5 SDWIS / NH1291010 / 1074
1995 1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 5 SDWIS / NH1291010 / 2981
1995 Carbon tetrachloride MR 5 SDWIS / NH1291010 / 2982

How Lancaster Water Dept Compares

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

Metric Lancaster Water Dept New Hampshire avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 217 63.6 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 23 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 2,450 506 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 Lancaster Water Dept water safe to drink? ▼
Lancaster Water Dept (PWS ID: NH1291010) has 217 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 2,450 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Lancaster Water Dept serve? ▼
Lancaster Water Dept serves 2,450 people in Lancaster, New Hampshire. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 975 service connections.
What type of violations does Lancaster Water Dept have? ▼
Lancaster Water Dept has 217 total violations: 23 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 180 monitoring/reporting violations, and 1 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Lancaster Water Dept water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Lancaster Water Dept under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Lancaster Water Dept use? ▼
Lancaster 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.