NEW HAMPSHIRE
1,140 systems serving 925,608 people		  
 
 
  This drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by water utilities in New Hampshire, provided to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. It is part of EWG's national database that includes 47,667 drinking water utilities and 20 million test results from 45 states and the District of Columbia. Water utilities nationwide detected more than 300 pollutants between 2004 and 2009. More than half of these chemicals are unregulated, legal in any amount. Despite this widespread contamination, the federal government invests few resources in protecting rivers, reservoirs, and groundwater from pollution in the first place. The information below summarizes drinking water quality for this state.

 
Chemicals
Water Utilities
Population Served
Detected Chemicals
91
1.140
897,987
Exceed health guidelines*
44
958
854,004
Exceed Legal Limits*
23
551
592,515
Unregulated chemicals detected
29
522
622,352
* Water utilities are noted as exceeding the legal limit if any test is above the maximum contaminant level (MCL). Most MCLs are based on annual averages so exceeding the MCL for one test does not necessarily indicate that the system is out of compliance.

 
 
 
  44 Contaminants Exceeding Health Based Limits

Contaminants detected in New Hampshire drinking water above health guidelines, according to an Environmental Working Group analysis of data obtained from state water authorities

Contaminant
Population
Number of Systems
At Any Level Above Health Limits At Any Level Above Health Limits
Bromodichloromethane 569,228 569,228 206 206
Radium-226 565,147 565,147 464 464
Radium-228 535,978 535,978 433 433
Manganese 782,336 529,253 770 397
Alpha particle activity (excl radon and uranium) 490,355 490,355 477 477
Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) 650,193 448,427 317 59
Arsenic (total) 430,398 430,398 483 483
Chloroform 599,257 429,045 264 46
Dibromochloromethane 357,341 317,251 174 116
Combined Radium (-226 & -228) 287,465 287,465 338 338

 
 
 
  Sources of New Hampshire Drinking Water Contaminants

The contaminants identified in New Hampshire drinking water come from a wide variety of sources, including agriculture, industry, water treatment plants, and polluted storm runoff from urban areas.

91 Total Contaminants Detected (2004 - 2009)
18 Agricultural Pollutants
(pesticides, fertilizer, factory farms)

Arsenic (total), Cyanide, Nitrate, Nitrite, Selenium (total), Methoxychlor, Oxamyl (Vydate), Dinoseb, Atrazine, Bromomethane, Chlordane, m-Dichlorobenzene, o-Dichlorobenzene, p-Dichlorobenzene, 1,2-Dichloropropane, Monochlorobenzene (Chlorobenzene), Ethylbenzene, Perchlorate
33 Sprawl and Urban Pollutants
(road runoff, lawn pesticides, human waste)

Arsenic (total), Cadmium (total), Copper, Cyanide, Hydrogen sulfide, Lead (total), Mercury (total inorganic), Nitrate, Nitrite, Silver (total), Antimony (total), Di(2-Ethylhexyl) adipate, Trichlorofluoromethane, Acetone, Methyl ethyl ketone, Naphthalene, MTBE, Fluorene, Phenanthrene, Diethylphthalate, Di-n-butylphthalate, bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, Benzo[a]pyrene, Xylenes (total), Chlordane, p-Xylene, Dichloromethane (methylene chloride), p-Dichlorobenzene, Tetrachloroethylene, Benzene, Bromobenzene, o-Xylene, n-Propylbenzene
76 Industrial Pollutants

Aluminum, Arsenic (total), Barium (total), Cadmium (total), Chromium (total), Cyanide, Hydrogen sulfide, Lead (total), Manganese, Mercury (total inorganic), Nitrate, Nitrite, Selenium (total), Silver (total), Antimony (total), Beryllium (total), Thallium (total), Di(2-Ethylhexyl) adipate, Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, Hexachlorocyclopentadiene, 1,4-Dioxane, Chloromethane, Dichlorodifluoromethane, Chloroethane, Trichlorofluoromethane, Acetone, Methyl ethyl ketone, Naphthalene, MTBE, Tetrahydrofuran, Fluorene, Phenanthrene, Diethylphthalate, Di-n-butylphthalate, bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, Pentachlorophenol, 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene, cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene, 1,1-Dichloropropene, 1,2,3-Trichloropropane, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene, Xylenes (total), p-Xylene, Dichloromethane (methylene chloride), o-Chlorotoluene, p-Chlorotoluene, m-Dichlorobenzene, p-Dichlorobenzene, Vinyl chloride, 1,1-Dichloroethylene, 1,1-Dichloroethane, trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene, 1,2-Dichloroethane, 1,1,1-Trichloroethane, Carbon tetrachloride, 1,2-Dichloropropane, Trichloroethylene, 1,1,2-Trichloroethane, Tetrachloroethylene, Monochlorobenzene (Chlorobenzene), Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Bromobenzene, Styrene, o-Xylene, n-Propylbenzene, Alpha particle activity (excl radon and uranium), Combined Uranium (mg/L), Combined Radium (-226 & -228), Radium-226, Radium-228, Perchlorate, Combined Uranium (pCi/L), Gross beta particle activity (pCi/L)
12 Water Treatment and Distribution Byproducts
(pipes and fixtures, treatment chemicals and byproducts)

Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), Chloroform, Bromodichloromethane, Dibromochloromethane, Bromoform, Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, Cadmium (total), Chloromethane, Vinyl chloride, Benzo[a]pyrene, Chloroethane, m-Dichlorobenzene
23 Naturally Occurring
(naturally present but increased for lands denuded by sprawl, agriculture, or industrial development)

Nitrate, Copper, Barium (total), Lead (total), Arsenic (total), Manganese, Radium-228, Radium-226, Alpha particle activity (excl radon and uranium), Combined Radium (-226 & -228), Gross beta particle activity (pCi/L), Combined Uranium (pCi/L), Chromium (total), Combined Uranium (mg/L), Aluminum, Selenium (total), Nitrite, Radon, Mercury (total inorganic), Chloromethane, Cyanide, Silver (total), Hydrogen sulfide
30 Unregulated Contaminants
EPA has not established a maximum legal limit in tapwater for these contaminants

Hydrogen sulfide, Lead (total), 1,4-Dioxane, Chloromethane, Dichlorodifluoromethane, Bromomethane, Chloroethane, Trichlorofluoromethane, Acetone, Methyl ethyl ketone, Naphthalene, MTBE, Tetrahydrofuran, Fluorene, Phenanthrene, Diethylphthalate, Di-n-butylphthalate, bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, 1,1-Dichloropropene, 1,2,3-Trichloropropane, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene, o-Chlorotoluene, p-Chlorotoluene, m-Dichlorobenzene, 1,1-Dichloroethane, Bromobenzene, n-Propylbenzene, Radon, Perchlorate
 
 
 
  Testing Summary for New Hampshire

The federal government has set standards for some of the pollutants found in tap water supplies.

Contaminants reported as tested by water suppliers in New Hampshire 147
  Contaminants tested due to federal law: 87
  Contaminants tested in addition to those required by federal law: 60
 
 
 
  Violation Summary for New Hampshire

Data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency includes the following violations of federal standards in New Hampshire since 2004.

Violation Type Number of Violations
Failure to monitor regularly 1,884
Over maximum contaminant level, Average 760
Maximum contaminant level, Monthly (Coliform bacteria) 567
Public Notification Violation for National Primary Drinking Water Regulations 300
Failure to report information to the public or state agency in the Consumer Confidence Report 257
Failure to monitor, Routine Major (Coliform bacteria) 237
Inadequate reporting of information to the public 159
Monitoring and Reporting Disinfection Byproduct Rule 107
Follow-up and Routine Tap Sampling 67
Maximum contaminant level, Acute (Coliform bacteria) 40
Public Education 30
Initial Water Quality Parameter Monitoring and Reporting 25
Failure to monitor, Routine Minor (Coliform bacteria) 24
Optimal Corrosion Control Treatment Study Recommendation 24
Failure to monitor, Repeat Major (Coliform bacteria) 21
Treatment Technique (Surface Water Treatment Rule) 13
Over maximum contaminant level, Single Sample 9
Excess Turbidity at 1 NTU 7
Initial Tap Sampling for Lead and Copper 3
Failure to monitor, Repeat Minor (Coliform bacteria) 3
Filter Turbidity Reporting 3
Failure to monitor or report, Routine/Repeat (Indicators of microbial or virus contamination) 2
Treatment Technique Precursor Removal 2
Excess Turbidity at 0.3 NTU 2
Optimal Corrosion Control Treatment Installation/Demonstration 2
Initial, Follow-up, or Routine Source Water Treatment Monitoring and Reporting 1
Failure to monitor or report, Routine/Repeat (Indicators of microbial or virus contamination) 1
Non-Acute maximum residual disinfectant level 1



Sources : EWG (Environmental Working Group)