Across Kapaau, HI, the overall grade falls in the upper range - a summary score, not a measurement taken at any single tap.

Data: EPA SDWIS

Overview

We track home safety data for 1 ZIP code in Kapaau, Hawaii (population ~3,548), covering 2 community water systems serving approximately 5,783 people region-wide. The EPA snapshots used for this build directly map water systems to 1 of 1 ZIP codes.

The available EPA record reports 0 violations for 1 ZIP code with a reported violation count.

Home Safety Score

Average Home Safety Score for Kapaau: A (100/100)

Model 4.0.0 uses four measured components across three equally weighted domains. If a required domain is unavailable, no score is published:

Factor	What It Measures
Water Quality	EPA violations and compliance history
PFAS MCL Screen	UCMR 5 testing against the covered federal MCLs
Radon Risk	EPA radon zone classification
Annual AQI	EPA AirData county-year median with at least 90 observed days

Water Sources

Kapaau water systems draw from: Groundwater.

Lead & Copper

• Average of reported 90th-percentile lead results: 0.0107 mg/L (EPA action level: 0.015 mg/L)
• 0 of 1 ZIP code with known status exceed the EPA lead action level

Radon Risk

1 of 1 ZIP records with known zones is in EPA Radon Zone 3.

The EPA recommends testing all homes regardless of radon zone. County radon zones cannot replace an in-home radon test.

Areas with No Violations

All ZIP Codes in Kapaau

• 96755 [A]

Data Sources

• Water quality: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS)
• Lead/copper: EPA Lead and Copper Rule sampling data
• Radon: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Reporting periods vary by source. Missing data is shown as unavailable, not as zero.

Housing Age Profile

Median construction year in Kapaau: 1987, set against the 1986 federal lead limits for new plumbing.

1987

Median Year Built

58%

Pre-1986 (lead solder era; lead paint banned 1978)

37%

Pre-1970 (Lead Pipes Risk)

Pre-1970 (37%) 1970–1986 (21%) Post-1986 (42%)

Over half of homes in Kapaau were built before 1986, when federal law began restricting lead solder in drinking-water plumbing. Older plumbing may leach lead into drinking water, especially with corrosive water chemistry.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS B25034.

Lead Exposure Risk for Children in Kapaau

58%

Homes Built Before 1986

0.0107

mg/L average of reported water-system 90th-percentile lead results (the 0.015 action level applies to each system's result, not to this average)

Why children are most at risk: The CDC states that no safe blood lead level in children has been identified. Children under 6 absorb lead more readily than adults, and even low levels can cause developmental delays, learning difficulties, and behavioral problems.

58% of Kapaau homes were constructed before 1986, when federal law began limiting lead in pipes, solder and flux. Across the city's ZIP codes, water systems' 90th-percentile lead results average no less than 0.010 mg/L. That average can mix higher and lower systems, so it neither confirms nor rules out a problem at a single address; asking the utility how the home's service line is classified in its inventory is a practical next step.

Sources: EPA Lead and Copper Rule, U.S. Census Bureau ACS, CDC childhood lead poisoning prevention guidelines.