Makawao, HI
Lead detected, under the action levels
Latest 90th-percentile lead: 0.88 ppb (monitoring period 2017-2019). 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.
Makawao at a glance
Makawao serves about 29,868 people through 6,675 service connections, which makes it a large system under EPA's size classes. It is owned by a local government (city, town, county or district) and draws surface water, in Maui County, Hawaii. EPA system ID: HI0000213; phone on file: 808-270-7834. They can tell you what your service line is made of and whether they pay to replace it.
Lead results over time
Against the period ending 2016 (0 ppb) the latest result is about the same. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for Makawao is 0.88 ppb across 2 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 0.88 ppb |
| 2016 | 0 (not detected) |
Against other Hawaii systems
Of the 112 Hawaii systems with a lead result, the median latest reading is 0 ppb; 0 are over 15 ppb right now and 1 have gone over at some point. Makawao's 0.88 ppb sits at the 94th percentile in Hawaii and the 49th nationally (higher means more lead).
Nearby utilities
34 other systems share Maui County; 4 of them have a higher latest lead result than Makawao. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| Wailuku | 74,511 | 0 (not detected) |
| Lahaina | 20,065 | 0.78 ppb |
| Kaanapali | 8,000 | 0 (not detected) |
| Upper Kula | 7,686 | 1.7 ppb |
| Kapalua | 4,200 | 0 (not detected) |
| Kaunakakai | 3,702 | 0.77 ppb |
| Lower Kula | 3,522 | 3.7 ppb |
| Lanai City | 3,200 | 0 (not detected) |
| Hoolehua | 2,400 | 0 (not detected) |
| Hana | 1,284 | 0 (not detected) |
Next steps for Wailuku, HI
Test your own tap with a certified lab first-draw sample; Wailuku, HI 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 Makawao 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.