States → Minnesota
State profile · EPA SDWIS + UCMR5
Minnesota Drinking Water Quality
6,557 public water systems serve 5,239,398 people across Minnesota, with every Safe Drinking Water Act violation and UCMR5 PFAS result on record.
- 6,557
- Water systems
- 59,895
- Total violations
- 51.6%
- Systems w/ a violation
- 76%
- PFAS detection rate
The verdict
Across Minnesota, 3,386 of 6,557 water systems (51.6%) carry at least one EPA violation, and 149 of 196 UCMR5-tested systems show PFAS.
- 59,895
- Total EPA violations on record
- 61%
- Health-based (MCL / treatment)
- 51.6%
- Systems with ≥1 violation
- 76%
- UCMR5 PFAS detection rate
Water Systems
6,557
Total Violations
59,895
Violation Rate
51.6%
PFAS Detection
76%
149 of 196 tested
Violation Composition
How Minnesota's 59,895 violations break down by type, per EPA SDWIS classification.
Health-based (36,496) Monitoring/Reporting (23,399)
| Metric | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Public water systems | 6,557 | - |
| Population served | 5,239,398 | - |
| Total violations | 59,895 | 100% |
| Health-based violations | 36,496 | 60.9% |
| Systems with violations | 3,386 | 51.6% |
| PFAS detection rate | 149 of 196 | 76% |
Health-based violations indicate the contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) or treatment-technique requirement. Monitoring/reporting violations indicate procedural issues (missed tests, late reports) - not necessarily a contamination event.
Largest Water Systems
Minneapolis
Minneapolis, MN · 425,300 served
Saint Paul Regional Water Services
St. Paul, MN · 392,529 served
Rochester
Rochester, MN · 123,624 served
Bloomington
Bloomington, MN · 91,300 served
Brooklyn Park
Brooklyn Park, MN · 89,995 served
Duluth
Duluth, MN · 86,859 served
Woodbury
Woodbury, MN · 82,643 served
Plymouth
Plymouth, MN · 81,026 served
Maple Grove
Maple Grove, MN · 75,000 served
Saint Cloud
St. Cloud, MN · 71,321 served
Blaine
Blaine, MN · 70,220 served
Eagan
Eagan, MN · 68,223 served
Lakeville
Lakeville, MN · 67,300 served
Coon Rapids
Coon Rapids, MN · 64,000 served
Eden Prairie
Eden Prairie, MN · 63,726 served
Burnsville
Burnsville, MN · 61,747 served
Minnetonka
Minnetonka, MN · 54,474 served
Edina
Edina, MN · 53,494 served
Apple Valley
Apple Valley, MN · 50,300 served
Saint Louis Park
St. Louis Park, MN · 50,010 served
Most Violations
#1 Sunset Lodge Oak Island
366 #2 Timber Trail Lodge Ely
287 #3 Lodge of Whispering Pines Ely
269 #4 Blomkest Blomkest
229 #5 Brandy Lake Estates Detroit Lakes
227 #6 Echo Trail Tavern Buyck
223 #7 Cliff Dweller Tofte
221 #8 Flag Island Resort Angle Inlet
216 #9 Climax Climax
208 #10 Lakewood Park and Sales Warroad
195 #11 Oak Manor Mobile Home Park Lancaster
195 #12 Arrowhead Lodge and Resort Kabetogama
185 #13 Trail Center Lodge Grand Marais
184 #14 Riverbend Homes and More Mankato
170 #15 Valmet DBA StoneL Fergus Falls
167 Counties in Minnesota
Hennepin
202 systems · 1,273,140 served
· 1,534 violations
Ramsey
43 systems · 579,780 served
· 369 violations
Dakota
135 systems · 391,434 served
· 1,282 violations
Anoka
245 systems · 328,280 served
· 2,022 violations
Washington
195 systems · 259,368 served
· 1,652 violations
St. Louis
364 systems · 178,965 served
· 3,967 violations
Stearns
214 systems · 167,300 served
· 2,315 violations
Olmsted
83 systems · 148,383 served
· 573 violations
Scott
115 systems · 133,319 served
· 1,081 violations
Wright
129 systems · 130,391 served
· 1,276 violations
Carver
68 systems · 104,814 served
· 570 violations
Crow Wing
385 systems · 79,377 served
· 2,014 violations
Rice
71 systems · 64,806 served
· 729 violations
Clay
51 systems · 60,378 served
· 534 violations
Blue Earth
64 systems · 59,656 served
· 867 violations
Sherburne
80 systems · 58,403 served
· 645 violations
Winona
79 systems · 51,377 served
· 1,204 violations
Otter Tail
282 systems · 44,731 served
· 1,791 violations
Goodhue
91 systems · 44,002 served
· 1,061 violations
Chisago
110 systems · 40,252 served
· 932 violations
Mower
54 systems · 36,656 served
· 630 violations
Steele
36 systems · 36,022 served
· 441 violations
Kandiyohi
74 systems · 35,789 served
· 1,003 violations
Beltrami
188 systems · 34,995 served
· 1,040 violations
Nicollet
26 systems · 30,952 served
· 217 violations
Douglas
153 systems · 30,896 served
· 1,199 violations
McLeod
39 systems · 30,778 served
· 363 violations
Itasca
229 systems · 30,771 served
· 1,273 violations
Freeborn
58 systems · 29,013 served
· 771 violations
Benton
67 systems · 28,624 served
· 421 violations
Showing top 30 of 87 counties.
Drinking Water Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How many water systems are in Minnesota? ▼
Minnesota has 6,557 public water systems serving approximately 5,239,398 people. These include community water systems, non-transient non-community systems, and transient non-community systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
How many drinking water violations are in Minnesota? ▼
Minnesota has 59,895 total drinking water violations on record, with 36,496 classified as health-based violations. 51.6% of water systems in the state have at least one violation.
Has PFAS been found in Minnesota drinking water? ▼
Of 196 water systems tested for PFAS in Minnesota, 149 had PFAS detected, a 76% detection rate. PFAS are persistent "forever chemicals" that do not break down in the environment.
What is the violation rate for Minnesota water systems? ▼
Minnesota's violation rate is 51.6%. This measures the percentage of public water systems that have at least one recorded violation in the EPA SDWIS database, including both health-based and monitoring/reporting violations.
Where does this Minnesota water data come from? ▼
All drinking water data comes from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and the UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program. SDWIS is the federal database that tracks compliance for all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Data Sources & Methodology
Drinking water violation data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). PFAS testing data from the UCMR5 monitoring program. SDWIS tracks all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Data sourced from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 PFAS monitoring data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainWater Editorial
Every figure on PlainWater is rendered directly from EPA SDWIS drinking-water data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on EPA SDWIS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.