23 cities covered
Maine water quality, by city
Maine cities of 10,000+
| City | Disinfectant | Hardness | Lead | PFAS | Radon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland | Chloramine | 0.5 gpg | 1.5 ppb | Not detected | High |
| Lewiston | Chloramine | 0.9 gpg | 1.7 ppb | Not detected | High |
| Bangor | Chloramine | 0.4 gpg | 7.5 ppb | Not detected | High |
| South Portland | Chloramine | 0.5 gpg | 1.5 ppb | Not detected | High |
| Auburn | Chloramine | No data | 5 ppb | Not detected | High |
| Sanford | Chlorine | 2.4 gpg | 4 ppb | PFOS, PFOA | High |
| Biddeford | Chloramine | 0.9 gpg | Not detected | Not detected | High |
| Westbrook | Chloramine | No data | 1.5 ppb | Not detected | High |
| Saco | Chloramine | 0.8 gpg | Not detected | Not detected | High |
| Augusta | Chlorine | 8.0 gpg | 1.1 ppb | Not detected | High |
| Waterville | Chlorine | No data | 1.9 ppb | PFOA | High |
Smaller Maine towns
12 more covered towns, each with its own page.
What the data shows across Maine
Chlorine or chloramine
10 of 23 covered cities use chloramine in at least part of the system: Portland, Lewiston, Bangor, South Portland, Auburn, Biddeford and 4 more. Most cheap shower filters barely affect chloramine; look for vitamin C or catalytic carbon media.
Shower filters that handle chloramineHardness
2 of 13 cities with a hardness reading have hard or very hard water. Readings run from 0.4 grains per gallon in Bangor (soft) to 8.4 in Hallowell (hard).
Softener or filter?Lead
3 cities' utilities reported a 90th-percentile lead result of 5 ppb or more: Bangor, Auburn and Old Town. Lead comes from service lines and plumbing, so a home test is the reading that counts.
PFAS
EPA's nationwide sampling found PFAS above a 2024 EPA limit, in at least one sample, in the water serving Sanford and Waterville, and below the limits in 1 more.