Dexter Utility District, ME
Lead detected, under the action levels
Latest 90th-percentile lead: 4.9 ppb (monitoring period 2024-2026). The federal action level is 15 ppb today and drops to 10 ppb in Nov 2027; EPA's health goal is 0. Lead was measured in sampled homes but the 90th percentile is under both action levels. EPA's health goal for lead is zero, so test your own tap if your home was built before 1986 or anyone in it is pregnant or a young child.
About Dexter Utility District
Dexter Utility District serves about 2,338 people through 935 service connections, which makes it a small system under EPA's size classes. It is owned by a local government (city, town, county or district) and draws surface water, in Penobscot County, Maine. EPA system ID: ME0090440; phone on file: 207-924-7367. They can tell you what your service line is made of and whether they pay to replace it.
Lead results over time
That is up 1.1 ppb from 3.8 ppb in the period ending 2023. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for Dexter Utility District is 5.3 ppb across 6 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 4.9 ppb |
| 2023 | 3.8 ppb |
| 2020 | 4.1 ppb |
| 2017 | 5.3 ppb |
| 2017 | 5.3 ppb |
| 2016 | 2.6 ppb |
Against other Maine systems
Of the 358 Maine systems with a lead result, the median latest reading is 1.5 ppb; 2 are over 15 ppb right now and 40 have gone over at some point. Dexter Utility District's 4.9 ppb sits at the 88th percentile in Maine and the 90th nationally (higher means more lead).
Neighbouring systems
48 other systems share Penobscot County; 10 of them have a higher latest lead result than Dexter Utility District. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| Bangor Water District | 27,298 | 7.45 ppb |
| Brewer Water Department | 8,860 | 2.1 ppb |
| Old Town Water District | 7,648 | 7.9 ppb |
| Orono-Veazie Water District | 5,793 | 10 ppb |
| Maine Water Company Millinocket Division | 5,400 | 2.8 ppb |
| Hampden Water District | 4,800 | 2.52 ppb |
| Lincoln Water District | 3,020 | 0.96 ppb |
| East Millinocket Water Works | 2,133 | 2.8 ppb |
| Newport Water District | 1,900 | 1.3 ppb |
| Howland Water Department | 1,025 | 1.9 ppb |
Your move
Test your own tap with a certified lab first-draw sample; Dexter, ME may offer free or low-cost kits through the utility. If your own line is lead, replacing the private side runs about $1,200-$12,300 (EPA average about $4,700). Ask Dexter Utility District whether it covers that cost before hiring anyone - many utilities now do.
These figures describe homes the utility sampled, not your tap. Only your service line record or a test of your own water answers the question for your house. The lead result guide covers how utilities pick the homes they sample. Systems that went over once often dip back under; here is what that means.