← all states

HomeState by StateMaine › Patten Water Dept

Nitrate at Patten Water Dept

Maine · system ME0091240 · serves 338 people

Band placed by this system's most recent reported result within a rolling three-year window; the three-year range below shows the full spread.

The reading

2.80 mg/L as N
most recent reading · 2025
single sample — no range
three-year range (mg/L as N)
*1 sample
what this result rests on
338
people served

A single reading is not a complete account of what a household drinks, so the three-year range and the number of tests behind it are shown too — a reading backed by many tests over three years is a fuller picture than one from a single sample.

Source: Maine Department of Health and Human Services - Drinking Water Program record · Maine · system ME0091240 · the three years from August 9, 2023 to August 9, 2026

Where this ranks

This system's nitrate sits in the top 14% nationally. Systems reporting less serve about 86% of everyone on NitrateSmart's tracked supply; the other about 14% are on systems reporting the same or more. That compares what systems reported, not what comes out of any one tap.

Natural backgroundHuman impact likelyHuman impact clearHealth-study rangeAbove the federal limit

What "Human impact likely" means

Nitrate here is low, but a little above natural background[1] — enough to suggest that fertilizer, manure, a septic system, or wastewater has reached the source. This is a statement about where the nitrate came from, not about harm.

Sources

  1. Dubrovsky, N.M., and others (2010). Nutrients in the Nation's Streams and Groundwater, 1992–2004. U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1350.

The bands describe how strongly human activity, read from nitrate, has marked a water source — they are not a safety verdict. More on what the numbers mean and where nitrate comes from.

NitrateSmart

Nitrate in community water systems, from the utilities’ own compliance reporting.

Results reaching back to July 2023 · current through August 9, 2026.

Data & methods

How this is built
Coverage and gaps

About

About
Privacy
Health data privacy
Contact