WaterQ

Carrabassett Valley, ME vs Portland, ME

Which City Has Better Water Quality?

When comparing tap water quality between Carrabassett Valley, ME and Portland, ME, Portland currently holds a substantial 62-point lead in average WaterQ score, with a score of 92 out of 100 versus 30 for Carrabassett Valley. Carrabassett Valley, ME carries an F grade while Portland, ME carries an A. A WaterQ score reflects an aggregate of EPA-reported violations, monitoring data, and compliance history across all public water systems serving each city, so a higher score generally indicates fewer recent violations and a stronger compliance record, though it does not guarantee that every tap in the city tests identically.

Portland, ME is the larger of the two, with 133,338 more residents than Carrabassett Valley, yet both cities are served by the same number of public water systems (1). This means the difference in population is handled by systems of different scale rather than a different count of utilities — larger systems generally serve more connections and may have more monitoring requirements under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

For residents of either Carrabassett Valley or Portland, the most useful next step is to look up the specific water system that serves your address, since city-wide averages combine results from every system in the area. Visit the Carrabassett Valley or Portland city pages below for a breakdown of local systems, recent violations, and contaminant-specific data, or browse WaterQ's contaminants directory to learn what each measured substance means for health.

Detailed Comparison

Metric Carrabassett Valley Portland
Water Quality Score 30 92
Grade F A
Water Systems 1 1
Population 1,730 135,068
County
State ME ME

Analysis

Portland has 62 points higher score
Significant difference in water quality
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Population Difference
Portland has 0.1M more people
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More Water Systems
Portland has 0 more system(s)
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Frequently asked questions

Which city has better tap water quality: Carrabassett Valley or Portland?

Portland currently has the higher WaterQ score (92/100). Check each city page for system-level details and recent violations.

How are Carrabassett Valley and Portland water scores calculated?

WaterQ scores are based on EPA-reported drinking water data, including contaminant detections, violations, and compliance records across local systems.

Where can I view full reports for Carrabassett Valley and Portland?

Use the city detail pages to see water systems, score breakdowns, and trend context for Carrabassett Valley, ME and Portland, ME.