Public water system · ME0091240
ActivePatten Water Dept
At a glance
Patten Water Dept (PWSID ME0091240) is an active community water system in Penobscot County, Maine. It reports serving 338 people through 135 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 10 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in December 2020.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
338
Service connections
135
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Patten Water Dept compare with other water systems in Penobscot County?
By EPA's size categories, Patten Water Dept is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Penobscot County has 169 active public water systems. Its population served is about 38% below the county average of 547 people per system, and accounts for 0.4% of the 92,416 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Maine, the 1,862 active systems average 503 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Patten Water Dept is well below that figure.
What does “community water system” mean?
A community water system serves at least 15 connections used by year-round residents, or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. Homes, apartments and mobile-home parks are served by these. Maine has 386 active community water systems, 21% of the state's 1,862 active systems. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 1,780 Maine systems (96%) list groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Patten Water Dept?
EPA lists Patten Water Dept as owned by a local government. The ME state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 37 of the 169 active systems in Penobscot County (22%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Patten Water Dept have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 10 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in December 2020. The violations listed here began between January 1992 and December 2020. By type: 5 monitoring and reporting, 3 contaminant level above the legal limit and 2 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (6 of them). EPA lists 7 as resolved and 3 as archived. Resolved means at least one resolving action is on record: the system returned to compliance, the rule no longer applies, or no further action was needed. Archived means the violation was not marked resolved but is more than five years past the end of the noncompliance period, so it no longer counts toward current compliance status.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-12-30 | Monitoring and reportingLead Consumer Notice · code 66 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2016-08-19 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2015-06-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2007-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2006-10-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2001-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 1995-09-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Archived |
| 1995-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 1994-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1992-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
All 10 violations in EPA's records, newest first.Labels and codes come from EPA's SDWIS reference tables. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found. "Health-based" marks violations of a legal limit or required treatment.
Patten Water Dept: frequently asked questions
Who runs Patten Water Dept?
Patten Water Dept (PWSID ME0091240) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the ME state drinking water program.
How many people does Patten Water Dept serve?
Patten Water Dept reports serving 338 people through 135 service connections in Penobscot County, Maine.
Where does Patten Water Dept get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as groundwater. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers.
Does Patten Water Dept have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 10 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in December 2020. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found.
Is Patten Water Dept's water safe to drink?
AquaCensus shows EPA compliance records, not current water test results, so it cannot say whether the water is safe at a given moment. EPA's records list 10 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in December 2020. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the ME state drinking water program.
Where can I find Patten Water Dept's water quality report?
As a community water system, Patten Water Dept must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1 each year, covering the previous calendar year. The system can provide a copy on request.
Other water systems in Penobscot County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangor Water District | Penobscot | 27,298 | Community | Surface water |
| Brewer Water Department | Penobscot | 8,860 | Community | Surface water |
| Old Town Water District | Penobscot | 7,648 | Community | Groundwater |
| Orono-Veazie Water District | Penobscot | 5,793 | Community | Groundwater |
| Maine Water Company Millinocket Division | Penobscot | 5,400 | Community | Surface water |
| Hampden Water District | Penobscot | 4,628 | Community | Purchased surface water |
Related pages
Working with water-system records? Pro adds alerts, change history and CSV export ($49/mo); Enterprise adds full national files, the API and an MCP server for AI tools.
About this data
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and SDWA violation records, via EPA ECHO, as published October 1, 2026 — AquaCensus refreshes it quarterly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: AquaCensus, “Patten Water Dept, PWSID ME0091240, Maine”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/maine/patten-water-dept-me0091240 (data as of October 1, 2026).