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Federal water data

County water report

Aroostook County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Aroostook County, Maine.

Water grade

F

Water score

15.0

State rank

#11

of 16

Health violations

60

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

15.8%

19 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

65

938 recent measurements

Live streamflow

189%

St. John River below Fish R, nr Fort Kent, Maine

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Aroostook County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 15.0 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

60

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

16% impaired

19 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

189% of mean

St. John River below Fish R, nr Fort Kent, Maine

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

65

938 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

F

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

15.0/100

Health violations

60

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

197.6

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Aroostook County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Aroostook County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 15.0 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 60 health-based violations — a pattern that public water utilities are required to disclose and correct.

Watershed Conditions

EPA ATTAINS

Under the Clean Water Act §303(d), EPA ATTAINS tracks whether waterways meet quality standards for drinking, recreation, and aquatic life (reporting cycle: 2022). A notable 15.8% of assessed waterways carry an impairment designation (3 of 19 water bodies) across Aroostook County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are ddt (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) and benthic macroinvertebrates bioassessments. Impairment does not mean tap water is unsafe — it measures ambient waterway conditions upstream of treatment, not finished drinking water.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T14:30:00.000-04:00) puts St. John River below Fish R, at 18.6k cfs — running significantly above its long-term average at 189% of mean flow. Streamflow is a leading indicator of drought stress, sediment load, and dilution capacity: low flows concentrate pollutants and warm water temperatures, stressing aquatic life and, in surface-water-dependent systems, the source water quality for treatment plants.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Aroostook County has extensive coverage with 65 active monitoring sites with 938 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and nutrient. More monitoring sites generally indicate greater scientific attention to local water conditions — and provide the baseline data that regulators use to set future impairment listings.

Editorial advisory

What the data suggests for Aroostook County

Water Verdict

Aroostook County receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 15.0 out of 100. The water supply has documented quality issues. Residents are strongly encouraged to use filtered or bottled water for drinking and to stay informed about utility improvement plans.

Violation Context

Aroostook County has recorded 60 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 197.6 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Aroostook County has a Grade F compliance record with 60 health-based violations — among the highest levels in the country. Aroostook County's drinking-water compliance score is 15.0 out of 100. Residents are strongly advised to use a certified NSF 58 reverse-osmosis filter or bottled water for all drinking and cooking until violations are corrected. Contacting the Maine Department of Environmental Quality or Health can expedite utility compliance action. Ddt (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) is the leading impairment cause in Aroostook County's watershed. With 65 active water-quality monitoring sites in Aroostook County, data coverage is strong. Live streamflow monitoring from the St. John River below Fish R, gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Aroostook County has poorer water quality than the average county in Maine. Its water score is 15.1 points lower than the state average, suggesting more challenges with contamination control or infrastructure than neighboring counties.

Advisory text summarizes county-level public records and is not a replacement for your utility's current Consumer Confidence Report or direct local notices.

Contaminants & Resources

Key issues flagged in Aroostook County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    Ddt (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane)

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

  • 2

    Benthic Macroinvertebrates Bioassessments

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

  • 3

    Low dissolved oxygen

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Aroostook County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Aroostook County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Aroostook County

Consumer Confidence Reports (ME)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Maine

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

15.8%

3 of 19 assessed

Some impairment

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    DDT (DICHLORODIPHENYLTRICHLOROETHANE)

  • 2

    BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES BIOASSESSMENTS

  • 3

    DISSOLVED OXYGEN

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Impairment is determined under the Clean Water Act §303(d): a water body is impaired when it fails to meet state-defined quality standards for designated uses (drinking, recreation, aquatic life). Assessment coverage varies by state; counties without assessed water bodies are not shown.

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

65

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

938

938 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • Inorganics, Major, Non-metals

Categories measured most frequently

Data from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), aggregating monitoring records from federal, state, and tribal sources. Each measurement represents a single sample analyzed for a specific characteristic (e.g., E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrogen).

Live USGS Streamgage

River & Stream Conditions

Current Discharge

18.6Kcfs

May 14, 6:30 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

189%

Well above typical

Primary Streamgage

St. John River below Fish R, nr Fort Kent, Maine

USGS site
01014000
Drainage area
5,929 sq mi
Long-term mean
9,828 cfs

One representative streamgage (the one with the largest drainage area in the county). Many counties have multiple gauges; this view summarizes the primary one. The long-term mean is the full-record annual average; the percent-of-typical value compares the latest reading against that average.

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Estimate Your Water Costs

Water Cost Estimate

3

3 people  ·  ~225 gal/day

Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Aroostook County:C — Moderate

Some violations or watershed impairment detected.

Estimates use the national average residential water rate ($0.0068/gal, EPA/AWWA 2023) and EPA WaterSense per-person consumption baseline (75 gal/person/day). Actual bills vary by utility, usage tier, and local infrastructure fees. For informational purposes only.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Aroostook County, Maine?
Aroostook County, Maine has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 15.0/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 60 health-based drinking water violations over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Aroostook County?
Aroostook County has 60 health-based drinking water violations recorded by the EPA over the past 5 years. Health-based violations indicate instances where contaminant levels exceeded EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). Violations may have been resolved — check with your local water utility for current status.
How healthy are the watersheds in Aroostook County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 15.8% of Aroostook County's 19 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (3 impaired). The top reported causes are DDT (DICHLORODIPHENYLTRICHLOROETHANE), BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES BIOASSESSMENTS, DISSOLVED OXYGEN. Impairment means the water body fails to meet state quality standards for at least one designated use — drinking water source, recreation, aquatic life, or fish consumption. Note: watershed impairment doesn't always translate to tap-water issues; treatment plants can remove most regulated contaminants.
How much water-quality monitoring happens in Aroostook County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 938 measurements from 65 monitoring sites in Aroostook County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Inorganics, Major, Non-metals. Each measurement is a single sample analyzed for one characteristic (E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, etc.). High monitoring density means more scientific evidence behind any reported signal — it does not by itself indicate water quality.
What's happening with rivers in Aroostook County right now?
Aroostook County's primary USGS streamgage on the St. John River below Fish R, has a pipeline snapshot of 18,600 cubic feet per second — 189% of the long-term mean of 9,827.65 cfs. This is well above typical — often a signal of recent precipitation or storm runoff. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Aroostook County water compare to the Maine average?
Aroostook County's SDWIS water quality score of 15.0/100 is lower than the Maine state average of 30.1. The average water quality grade across Maine is F, based on data from 16 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Aroostook County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Aroostook County has a water quality grade of F (15.0/100). This indicates below-average compliance with significant violations. Residents may want to consider home water filtration or independent testing. The grade speaks to the public water system, not the watershed — for watershed-level concerns, see the Watershed Health zone. For the most up-to-date information, contact your local water utility or review your Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).
Why does Aroostook County have so many water violations?
Aroostook County has 60 health-based drinking water violations on record from the EPA SDWIS database. A higher violation count can result from aging infrastructure, underfunded water utilities, agricultural runoff contamination, or industrial pollution. Counties with more water systems may also see more violations simply due to scale. Residents concerned about water quality should consider independent water testing and home filtration systems.
How does Aroostook County rank for water quality in Maine?
Aroostook County ranks #11 out of 16 counties in Maine by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 15.0/100, it falls in the middle third of counties statewide. The ranking reflects EPA SDWIS compliance only — not watershed impairment, monitoring density, or streamflow, which are tracked separately on this page.

Counties with Similar Water Quality

Somerset County

Maine

F

16.7

Water score

Franklin County

Maine

F

12.5

Water score

Piscataquis County

Maine

F

11.6

Water score

Data Sources

Drinking-water compliance data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) via the ECHO enforcement database. Scores reflect compliance history and health-based violation counts.

Watershed health and impaired-waterway data from the EPA ATTAINS Clean Water Act §303(d) assessments, state-reported and EPA-finalized.

Water-quality monitoring counts from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), federated USGS, EPA, and state agency sampling records over a rolling 5-year window.

Live streamflow from the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS), continuous discharge measurements from the largest-drainage gauge in each county, compared against the full-record long-term annual mean.

Disclaimer: This data is informational only. It is not health, legal, or professional advice. For concerns about your specific water supply, contact your local water utility.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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