Sovereign Water Collective — Regional Water Report

Town Maui Water Report

Covering Wailuku, Kahului, Paʻia, and Spreckelsville — Maui's largest water system by customer count. Compiled from EWG's Tap Water Database and the County of Maui Department of Water Supply. Your exact numbers can vary by address — book a consult and we'll confirm your specific system.

Reviewed and updated bi-yearly · Current as of September 2026

Where your water comes from

Town's water — serving Wailuku, Kahului, Paʻia, and Spreckelsville — comes from the Central Maui system, drawn primarily from the Iao Aquifer beneath the West Maui Mountains, with a smaller share from the adjacent Waihe'e Aquifer. It's naturally filtered through volcanic rock, then disinfected before it reaches your home.

One of the few water systems in Hawaiʻi with detectable arsenic

Testing shows this system carries 25 total contaminants, 15 of which exceed EWG's health guidelines — including arsenic, found at levels well above the health guideline (though still under the legal limit). A consistent arsenic presence like this is uncommon among Hawaiʻi utilities, making Town one of the few systems in the state where it shows up reliably in testing.

Arsenic

A potent, naturally occurring and agriculturally-linked carcinogen.

Arsenic

Cancer risk
Town / Central System
0.315 ppb
79x EWG guideline
EWG Health Guideline: 0.004 ppb  ·  Legal limit: 10 ppb — in legal compliance
What is this and where does it come from?

Arsenic is a potent carcinogen and one of the most common serious contaminants in U.S. drinking water. It can occur naturally in groundwater or enter from agricultural and industrial sources. This system is one of the relatively few in Hawaiʻi with a consistent, detectable arsenic presence.

Naturally occurring / agricultural

Disinfection Byproducts

Form when chlorine reacts with organic matter in the water. Linked to cancer risk.

Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs)

Cancer risk
Town / Central System
16.2 ppb
108x EWG guideline
EWG Health Guideline: 0.15 ppb  ·  Legal limit: 80 ppb — in legal compliance
What is this and where does it come from?

Forms when chlorine reacts with naturally occurring organic matter — a byproduct of disinfection, not outside contamination.

Treatment byproduct

Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)

Cancer risk
Town / Central System
3.29 ppb
33x EWG guideline
EWG Health Guideline: 0.1 ppb  ·  Legal limit: 60 ppb — in legal compliance
What is this and where does it come from?

A group of five chemicals formed during disinfection. Linked to cancer risk and potential harm during pregnancy.

Treatment byproduct

Bromoform

Cancer risk
Town / Central System
8.15 ppb
16x EWG guideline
EWG Health Guideline: 0.5 ppb — notably higher here than the national average (1.44 ppb)
What is this and where does it come from?

One of four trihalomethanes formed during chlorine disinfection.

Treatment byproduct

Dibromochloromethane

Cancer risk
Town / Central System
4.62 ppb
46x EWG guideline
EWG Health Guideline: 0.1 ppb
What is this and where does it come from?

One of four trihalomethanes formed during disinfection.

Treatment byproduct

Dibromoacetic Acid

Cancer risk
Town / Central System
2.05 ppb
68x EWG guideline
EWG Health Guideline: 0.03 ppb
What is this and where does it come from?

A haloacetic acid formed during disinfection.

Treatment byproduct

Bromochloroacetic Acid

Cancer risk
Town / Central System
0.705 ppb
35x EWG guideline
EWG Health Guideline: 0.02 ppb
What is this and where does it come from?

A haloacetic acid formed during disinfection.

Treatment byproduct

Bromodichloromethane

Cancer risk
Town / Central System
1.90 ppb
32x EWG guideline
EWG Health Guideline: 0.06 ppb
What is this and where does it come from?

One of four trihalomethanes formed during disinfection. Linked to cancer risk and possible harm to fetal growth.

Treatment byproduct

Trichloroacetic Acid

Cancer risk
Town / Central System
0.904 ppb
9x EWG guideline
EWG Health Guideline: 0.1 ppb
What is this and where does it come from?

A haloacetic acid formed during disinfection.

Treatment byproduct

Chloroform

Cancer risk
Town / Central System
1.29 ppb
3.2x EWG guideline
EWG Health Guideline: 0.4 ppb
What is this and where does it come from?

The most common trihalomethane, formed during chlorine disinfection.

Treatment byproduct

Dichloroacetic Acid

Cancer risk
Town / Central System
0.648 ppb
3.2x EWG guideline
EWG Health Guideline: 0.2 ppb
What is this and where does it come from?

A haloacetic acid formed during disinfection.

Treatment byproduct

Agricultural & Industrial Legacy

Remnants of past land use and industry. Linked to cancer risk.

Hexavalent Chromium

Cancer risk
Town / Central System
1.51 ppb
75x EWG guideline
EWG Health Guideline: 0.02 ppb
What is this and where does it come from?

A carcinogen that can come from industrial pollution or occur naturally in mineral deposits and groundwater.

Industrial / naturally occurring

Nitrate

Cancer & infant health risk
Town / Central System
0.554 ppm
4x EWG guideline
EWG Health Guideline: 0.14 ppm  ·  Legal limit: 10 ppm — well within legal limit
What is this and where does it come from?

Enters water from fertilizer runoff, septic systems, and urban runoff. Can cause oxygen deprivation in infants and increases cancer risk.

Agricultural runoff

Endocrine Disruptor

Interferes with hormone function, most concerning during pregnancy and childhood.

Chlorate

Thyroid function
Town / Central System
24.4 ppb
within EWG guideline
EWG Health Guideline: 210 ppb
What is this and where does it come from?

Forms as a byproduct of disinfection. Impairs thyroid function, making exposure most concerning during pregnancy and childhood.

Treatment byproduct

What this means for you

Your water meets every federal and state legal limit. But "legal" reflects standards that haven't been updated in nearly 20 years, not the latest independent health science. Several disinfection byproducts here are found at many times the health guideline set by EWG's scientists, and arsenic — while under the legal limit — shows up consistently at a level far above what's considered optimal. This is consistent with a system serving the island's largest population through an extensive distribution network.

What's in your pipes matters too. These results describe the water as it leaves the utility's system. On the way to your tap it can pick up lead, copper, or other metals from older city plumbing or from the pipes, fixtures, and solder in your own home. A utility's results can't see that, but testing your tap can.

No fluoride added

Maui DWS has never added fluoride to this system — only trace natural fluoride is present (0.0458 ppm), well below the level found in many mainland systems.

Book Your Free Consult

We'll confirm which utility serves your address, walk through what your results mean, and recommend the right filtration for your home — no pressure, just answers.

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Data compiled from EWG's Tap Water Database (Wailuku/Central Maui system report) and the County of Maui Department of Water Supply's 2025 Water Quality Report and public FAQ resources. Current as of September 2026 — reviewed and updated bi-yearly.