Howland Water Department, ME
Lead detected, under the action levels
Latest 90th-percentile lead: 1.9 ppb (monitoring period 2022-2024). 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 Howland Water Department
Howland Water Department serves about 1,025 people through 410 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 groundwater, in Penobscot County, Maine. EPA system ID: ME0090710; phone on file: 207-471-6400. They can tell you what your service line is made of and whether they pay to replace it.
Every lead result on file
Against the period ending 2021 (1.4 ppb) the latest result is about the same. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for Howland Water Department is 1.9 ppb across 5 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 1.9 ppb |
| 2021 | 1.4 ppb |
| 2018 | 1.42 ppb |
| 2018 | 1.42 ppb |
| 2016 | 1.86 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. Howland Water Department's 1.9 ppb sits at the 59th percentile in Maine and the 69th nationally (higher means more lead).
Other water systems in Penobscot County
48 other systems share Penobscot County; 27 of them have a higher latest lead result than Howland Water Department. 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 |
| Dexter Utility District | 2,338 | 4.9 ppb |
| East Millinocket Water Works | 2,133 | 2.8 ppb |
| Newport Water District | 1,900 | 1.3 ppb |
Next steps for Howland, ME
Test your own tap with a certified lab first-draw sample; Howland, 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 Howland Water Department 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. Why sampled homes are the worst-case ones is in the guide to reading the number. Size matters more than most people expect: small vs large water systems.