Pahala, HI
Lead reported as not detected
Latest 90th-percentile lead: reported as 0 (not detected) (monitoring period 2019-2021). 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.
About Pahala
Pahala serves about 1,226 people through 454 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 Hawaii County, Hawaii. EPA system ID: HI0000109; phone on file: 808-961-8050. Call that number and ask whether your address has a lead, galvanized or unknown service line.
Every lead result on file
The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for Pahala is 0 ppb across 1 monitoring period, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 0 (not detected) |
How Pahala compares
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. Pahala's reported as 0 (not detected) sits at the 47th percentile in Hawaii and the 28th nationally (higher means more lead). Systems reporting 0 tie at the bottom, so the rank mostly reflects size among them.
Other water systems in Hawaii County
36 other systems share Hawaii County; 2 of them have a higher latest lead result than Pahala. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| Hilo | 39,477 | 0 (not detected) |
| North Kona | 29,581 | 0 (not detected) |
| Waikoloa | 12,100 | 0 (not detected) |
| South Kohala | 9,612 | 0 (not detected) |
| South Kona | 6,512 | 0 (not detected) |
| Olaa-Mountain View | 6,467 | 0 (not detected) |
| North Kohala | 4,933 | 0 (not detected) |
| Haina | 4,563 | 0 (not detected) |
| Hawaii Volcanoes Nat.Park | 4,201 | 8.99 ppb |
| Hawaiian Beaches | 3,546 | 0 (not detected) |
What to do in your house
Look up your address in Pahala'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 Pahala 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.