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Monson Utilities District

What EPA’s and CDC’s records show in this utility’s water: nitrate, arsenic and other regulated chemicals; lead and copper; and violations since 2016, with the certification that handles each result.

Serves
298 people
Connections
119
Water source
Groundwater
Based in
Monson, ME
County
Piscataquis
Owner
Local government
The ZIP code it serves

04985

The short answer

1 result is above EPA’s legal limit, and 2 more are above the health goal. The worst: Copper, above the action level. 4 health-based violations since 2016.

What handles it

What was found

Lead and copper: EPA SDWIS monitoring periods ending 2013 to 2024.

Arsenic, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), nitrate and haloacetic acids (HAA5): Maine’s yearly averages per water system, as CDC’s Environmental Public Health Tracking Network publishes them, 2020 to 2023, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.

Chromium (total), fluoride and uranium: EPA’s compliance monitoring file, samples taken from Aug. 4, 2014 to April 18, 2017. Newer results are in the utility’s annual water quality report.

Above the legal limit1

Copper

Comes from pipes, often your own

Above the action level

1.6ppm

90th percentile, 2024

In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 1.6 ppm, above EPA’s action level of 1.3 ppm.

What handles it

Above the health goal2

Arsenic

Comes from the source

Above the health goal

0.99ppb

Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2023

Averaged by year, the highest was 0.99 ppb, in 2023: below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 1.3 ppb, in 2014.

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction”
  • NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction”

Lead

Comes from pipes, often your own

Above the health goal

1.4ppb

90th percentile, 2026

In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 1.4 ppb, below EPA’s action level of 15 ppb. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.

What handles it

Below EPA’s limits3

Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)

Forms or is added in treatment

Below EPA’s limits

3.6ppb

Highest yearly average, 2022

Averaged by year, the highest was 3.6 ppb, in 2022, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. That is the only year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 4.1 ppb, in 2013.

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
  • NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”

Nitrate

Comes from the source

Below EPA’s limits

0.34ppm

Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2023

2023 average: 0.27 ppm

Averaged by year, the highest was 0.34 ppm, in 2020, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. In 2023, the latest year on file, it averaged 0.27 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 0.73 ppm, in 2014.

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
  • NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”

Chromium (total)

Comes from the source

Below EPA’s limits

1.1ppb

Highest yearly average, 2014 to 2017

2017 average: 0.95 ppb

Averaged by year, the highest was 1.1 ppb, in 2014, below EPA’s legal limit of 100 ppb. Its highest single sample was 1.7 ppb. In 2017, the latest year on file, its two samples averaged 0.95 ppb.

What handles it

3 compounds tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
  • Fluoride
  • Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
  • Uranium

What handles it

A certification covers specific claims, not a whole standard. Look for these claims on the certifier’s listing, not the box. Wording varies a little: NSF writes “Lead Reduction,” WQA just “Lead.”

  • NSF/ANSI 53

    Claims: Copper Reduction, Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction, Lead Reduction

    For: Copper, Arsenic, Lead

    Other certifiers’ wording: Arsenic (III) (50 ppb influent level)

  • NSF/ANSI 58

    Claims: Copper Reduction, Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction, Lead Reduction

    For: Copper, Arsenic, Lead

    Other certifiers’ wording: Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=300 ppb Reduction; Arsenic (V) (300 ppb influent level)

At the tap, or for the whole house?

Lead and copper usually come from pipes and fixtures inside or near your home. A whole-house system sits where water enters, so it cannot catch what your own plumbing adds after it. For those, the filter that counts is the one at the tap. How whole-house systems compare.

Filters with those claims on a certifier’s listing

Disclosure: TapBuff earns a commission if you buy through some links on this page. It does not change which standard or filter we name. As an Amazon Associate, TapBuff earns from qualifying purchases. How TapBuff makes money

Compare five-year costs

The best reverse osmosis systems, ranked

The best water filters for lead, ranked

Violations since 2016

Contaminant or ruleTypePeriodMeasuredStatus
Lead and Copper RuleA required study or plan for corrosion control was not done on time.EPA: OCCT/SOWT Study/RecommendationApril 2, 2025—Unaddressed
Lead and Copper RuleA required study or plan for corrosion control was not done on time.EPA: OCCT/SOWT Study/RecommendationNov. 2, 2024—Unaddressed
Lead and Copper RuleA required study or plan for corrosion control was not done on time.EPA: OCCT/SOWT Study/RecommendationApril 12, 2024—Unaddressed
Lead and Copper RuleA required study or plan for corrosion control was not done on time.EPA: OCCT/SOWT Study/RecommendationJan. 1, 2024—Unaddressed
Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 13 monitoring or reporting violations not shown.

What this report can’t tell you

  • Everything else. Arsenic, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), nitrate and haloacetic acids (HAA5) results here are Maine’s yearly averages as CDC publishes them, from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Chromium (total), fluoride and uranium come from EPA’s file alone, which ends in 2019. Monson Utilities District’s own annual report, which it must send you every year, has newer results for those and the contaminants this page does not show.

  • Your own plumbing. Lead results are the 90th percentile across homes the utility samples. Your home’s service line, solder and fixtures decide yours. A certified lab test is the only way to know.

  • What it means for your health. This page reports what the records show and EPA’s limits and goals; it is not medical advice. If you are worried about a health effect, talk to a doctor or your local health department.

  • Anything after the latest data. SDWIS data is from 2026 Q3; UCMR 5 didn’t sample this utility; CDC’s yearly averages for Maine cover 2020 to 2023; EPA’s compliance samples are from Aug. 4, 2014 to April 18, 2017.

Testing your own tap

Monson Utilities District’s results are for the water it sends out. What your own service line, solder and fixtures add shows up only in a test of your tap, by a lab Maine certifies.

The 3 labs Maine certifies closest to the area Monson Utilities District serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.

Maine Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory: Well water test kits ordered online, from a bacteria-only test to full panels for new wells and home sales. The lab must receive the sample within 30 hours of collection. The basic safety test is $42, bacteria alone $27, first-draw lead $32, and the fuller well tests $127 to $147. Maine Private Well and Radiological Water and Air Test.

All 53 certified labs for Maine

Sources

PWSID ME0091030. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.

Also in Piscataquis County

All Maine utilities

What to do next