Community Water System · PWS NH1951010
Portsmouth Water Works
Operator location Portsmouth, New Hampshire - 100% of 43 violations are health-based (upper-third health share (> 23%)); surface water source; 33,000 served per SDWIS.
- 33,000
- People served (this PWS)
- 43
- EPA violations (this PWS)
- 43
- Health-based (this PWS)
- 8 PFAS
- UCMR5 (this PWS)
Portsmouth Water Works standing, mid SDWIS violation third
100% of 43 recorded violations are health-based - upper-third health share (> 23%). Corpus terciles use 29,740 systems serving 500+ (the sitemap cohort). Health-based share 100% is upper-third health share (> 23%). UCMR5: upper-third PFAS panel (> 4 compounds). Population rank #1,701 of 29,740 among systems serving 500+.
The verdict
Portsmouth Water Works lands in the middle third by violation volume (43), large enough for peer comparisons without matching the fleet's heaviest ledgers. Population served is large (33,000; larger served population (> 3,309)), so household exposure scale sits behind the violation mix. Health-based share is 100% - most of this ledger is MCL or treatment-technique exceedance. UCMR5 detected 8 PFAS compounds (upper-third PFAS panel (> 4 compounds)).
- #1,701 of 29,740
- Population · /systems
- #5 of 284
- Population · NH
- 43
- Total EPA violations on record
- 100%
- Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
Population ordinals match the sitemap cohort (systems serving 500+, population_served DESC). See methodology · corpus placement.
8 PFAS "forever chemicals" detected in testing under EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
System Details
- System Type
- Community
- Owner Type
- Local
- Connections
- 7,200
- County
- Rockingham
- School/Daycare
- No
- MCL Violations
- 17
- Monitoring Violations
- 0
- Treatment Tech Violations
- 26
Violation History
Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.
| Contaminant | Category | Count | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule | TT | 16 | 2008 |
| Surface Water Treatment Rule | TT | 10 | 2007 |
| TTHM | MCL | 7 | 2014 |
| Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) | MCL | 6 | 2003 |
| Coliform (TCR) | MCL | 4 | 2001 |
Violation Count vs. the National Corpus
Portsmouth Water Works has 43 recorded EPA violations, 52% of the 29,740 public water systems serving 500+ people nationwide carry fewer, and 47% carry more. 100% of this system's own violations are health-based (43 of 43), and it ranks #1,701 of 29,740 by population served among that same cohort.
EPA violations vs. the national water-system corpus
Public water systems serving 500+ people (EPA SDWIS)
43 Around the middle fewer violations than 47% of 29,740 water systems
the national water-system corpus, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more water systems. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source EPA SDWIS · 2026-05-15
PFAS Testing Results (UCMR5)
Results from EPA's Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule. 30 of 522 samples detected PFAS.
| Contaminant | Date | Result | MRL | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PFMPA | 7/18/2023 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| HFPO-DA | 7/18/2023 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFBA | 7/18/2023 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 6:2 FTS | 7/18/2023 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 4:2 FTS | 7/18/2023 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 8:2 FTS | 7/18/2023 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFEESA | 7/18/2023 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHpS | 7/18/2023 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFPeA | 7/18/2023 | 5.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFMBA | 7/18/2023 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFPeS | 7/18/2023 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFBS | 7/18/2023 | 3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFHpA | 7/18/2023 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| NEtFOSAA | 7/18/2023 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| NFDHA | 7/18/2023 | <20.00 ppt | 20.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| NMeFOSAA | 7/18/2023 | <6.00 ppt | 6.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFDA | 7/18/2023 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFTrDA | 7/18/2023 | <7.00 ppt | 7.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFTA | 7/18/2023 | <8.00 ppt | 8.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFUnA | 7/18/2023 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFOA | 7/18/2023 | 5.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFOS | 7/18/2023 | 4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFNA | 7/18/2023 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHxS | 7/18/2023 | 5.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
| ADONA | 7/18/2023 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 9Cl-PF3ONS | 7/18/2023 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 11Cl-PF3OUdS | 7/18/2023 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHxA | 7/18/2023 | 4.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFDoA | 7/18/2023 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHpS | 7/18/2023 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFDoA | 7/18/2023 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 8:2 FTS | 7/18/2023 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFMPA | 7/18/2023 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFPeA | 7/18/2023 | 5.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFMBA | 7/18/2023 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFEESA | 7/18/2023 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFPeS | 7/18/2023 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFTrDA | 7/18/2023 | <7.00 ppt | 7.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHxA | 7/18/2023 | 4.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
| NMeFOSAA | 7/18/2023 | <6.00 ppt | 6.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFTA | 7/18/2023 | <8.00 ppt | 8.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| NEtFOSAA | 7/18/2023 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| NFDHA | 7/18/2023 | <20.00 ppt | 20.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 4:2 FTS | 7/18/2023 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 6:2 FTS | 7/18/2023 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFBA | 7/18/2023 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| HFPO-DA | 7/18/2023 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| ADONA | 7/18/2023 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 9Cl-PF3ONS | 7/18/2023 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFUnA | 7/18/2023 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
Health-based violations on Portsmouth Water Works
43 health-based rows in the tables above map to MCL or treatment-technique exceedances, verify each contaminant code on the federal SDWIS report for NH1951010.
Sources: EPA SDWIS
Nationwide peers
43 violations · 33,000 served: nearest cross-state SDWIS matches.
Cross-state systems near this violation count
Nearest cross-state community systems (500+ served) by total SDWIS violations on record.
Cross-state systems with similar served population
Nearest cross-state systems by EPA SDWIS population_served (same 500+ sitemap gate).
What to do with Portsmouth Water Works
Use this system's EPA-reported record as a starting filter, not a final verdict.
- See how every tracked system in New Hampshire compares on the same EPA violation measures. New Hampshire systems
- Check whether PFAS was detected at this system under UCMR5 testing. PFAS guide
- Find and compare another public water system by name or PWSID. Search systems
EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 figures are informational only, not a substitute for a certified lab test of your own tap water.