Public water system · ME0293854
ActiveTown of Portage Lake
At a glance
Town of Portage Lake (PWSID ME0293854) is an active transient non-community water system in Aroostook County, Maine. It reports serving 25 people through 1 service connection. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as privately owned. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in April 2010.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
25
Service connections
1
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
TNCWS
Transient non-community water system
System record
How does Town of Portage Lake compare with other water systems in Aroostook County?
By EPA's size categories, Town of Portage Lake is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Aroostook County has 123 active public water systems. Its population served is well below the county average of 329 people per system, and accounts for less than 0.1% of the 40,518 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Maine, the 1,862 active systems average 503 people each. Nationally, the average active transient non-community water system reports serving 144 people, so Town of Portage Lake is well below that figure.
What does “transient non-community water system” mean?
A transient non-community water system serves places where people do not stay long, such as gas stations and campgrounds, and regularly serves at least 25 people a day for at least 60 days a year. Maine has 1,091 active transient non-community water systems, 59% 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 Town of Portage Lake?
EPA lists Town of Portage Lake as privately owned. 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. 95 of the 123 active systems in Aroostook County (77%) are also privately owned.
Does Town of Portage Lake have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in April 2010. The violations listed here began between January 1995 and April 2010. By type: 12 monitoring and reporting. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (6 of them). EPA lists 12 as resolved. 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.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2010-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitritecode 1041 | No | Resolved |
| 2010-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 2008-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2007-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2006-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2006-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 2003-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitritecode 1041 | No | Resolved |
| 2003-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 2002-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2001-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 1995-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
The 12 most recent 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.
Town of Portage Lake: frequently asked questions
Who runs Town of Portage Lake?
Town of Portage Lake (PWSID ME0293854) is a transient non-community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the ME state drinking water program.
How many people does Town of Portage Lake serve?
Town of Portage Lake reports serving 25 people through 1 service connection in Aroostook County, Maine.
Where does Town of Portage Lake 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 Town of Portage Lake have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in April 2010. 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 Town of Portage Lake'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. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in April 2010. For current results, consult EPA ECHO, or the ME state drinking water program.
Where can I find Town of Portage Lake's water quality report?
The annual Consumer Confidence Report requirement applies to community water systems. Town of Portage Lake is a transient non-community water system, so it is not required to publish one; like every public water system, it must notify the people it serves about violations under EPA's public notification rules.
Other water systems in Aroostook County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Presque Isle Utilities District | Aroostook | 6,128 | Community | Groundwater under influence of surface water |
| Houlton Water Company | Aroostook | 4,735 | Community | Groundwater |
| Caribou Utilities District | Aroostook | 3,943 | Community | Groundwater |
| Madawaska Water District | Aroostook | 2,738 | Community | Groundwater |
| Van Buren Water District | Aroostook | 2,190 | Community | Groundwater |
| Fort Fairfield Utilities District | Aroostook | 2,025 | Community | Surface water |
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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, “Town of Portage Lake, PWSID ME0293854, Maine”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/maine/town-of-portage-lake-me0293854 (data as of October 1, 2026).