Manchester Water Department, CT
Lead reported as not detected
Latest 90th-percentile lead: reported as 0 (not detected) (monitoring period 2025-2025). The federal action level is 15 ppb today and drops to 10 ppb in Nov 2027; EPA's health goal is 0. The latest 90th-percentile result was reported as 0 (not detected at the lab's limit). That says the sampled homes were low, not that your home has no lead service line. Check your utility's service line inventory for your address.
Who runs the water here
Manchester Water Department serves about 51,198 people through 16,873 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 Hartford County, Connecticut. EPA system ID: CT0770021; phone on file: 860-647-3131. 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 2024 (0 ppb) the latest result is about the same. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for Manchester Water Department is 8 ppb across 13 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2024 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2023 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2023 | 2 ppb |
| 2022 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2021 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2020 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2020 | 1.4 ppb |
| 2019 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2018 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2017 | 8 ppb |
| 2017 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2016 | 0 (not detected) |
Where this result ranks
Of the 493 Connecticut systems with a lead result, the median latest reading is 0.8 ppb; 2 are over 15 ppb right now and 49 have gone over at some point. Manchester Water Department's reported as 0 (not detected) sits at the 39th percentile in Connecticut and the 40th nationally (higher means more lead). Systems reporting 0 tie at the bottom, so the rank mostly reflects size among them.
Nearby utilities
46 other systems share Hartford County; 23 of them have a higher latest lead result than Manchester Water Department. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan District Commission | 390,887 | 0 (not detected) |
| Ctwc - Northern Reg-Western System | 101,313 | 0 (not detected) |
| New Britain Water Department | 73,534 | 0 (not detected) |
| Bristol Water Department | 52,079 | 0 (not detected) |
| Southington Water Department | 43,069 | 0 (not detected) |
| Hazardville Water Company | 18,544 | 0.7 ppb |
| Aquarion-Plainville Regional | 18,231 | 0 (not detected) |
| Ctwc - Unionville System | 14,693 | 2.4 ppb |
| Aquarion-Simsbury Regional | 14,691 | 0.3 ppb |
| Avon Water Co | 11,590 | 0 (not detected) |
What to do in your house
Look up your address in Manchester Water Department's service line inventory. If it says lead, galvanized or unknown, test your tap. If your own line is lead, replacing the private side runs about $1,200-$12,300 (EPA average about $4,700). Ask Manchester 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. The lead result guide covers how utilities pick the homes they sample. A zero today does not rule out a jump later - the rules are tightening in 2027.