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States → EPA Region 5 — Tribal Water Systems

Community Water System · PWS 055294705

Elbow Lake

White Earth, EPA Region 5 — Tribal Water Systems 56591 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 50 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

50
People served
408
EPA violations
14
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 408 drinking-water violations at Elbow Lake, 3% of them health-based.

408
Total EPA violations on record
3%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
50
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Elbow Lake

Elbow Lake is a native american-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 50 residents in White Earth, EPA Region 5 — Tribal Water Systems through 13 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 408 total violations for this system , of which 14 (3%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 383 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2024.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 17 violations (MR). This system has not yet been sampled under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, so no PFAS detection data is available here.

EPA Region 5 — Tribal Water Systems has thousands of regulated public water systems tracked by EPA under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

All figures above are sourced directly from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 public data releases and are updated as EPA publishes new reporting cycles.

Population Served
50
Total Violations
408
Health-Based Violations
14
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Native American
Connections
13
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
10
Monitoring Violations
383
Treatment Tech Violations
4

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 17 1997
Lead and Copper Rule MR 12 2018
Coliform (TCR) MCL 10 2014
Tetrachloroethylene MR 10 2020
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 7 2017
Xylenes, Total MR 7 2017
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 7 2017
Vinyl chloride MR 7 2017
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 7 2017
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 7 2017
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 7 2017
Trichloroethylene MR 7 2017
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 7 2017
Toluene MR 7 2017
Ethylbenzene MR 7 2017
Carbon tetrachloride MR 7 2017
CHLOROBENZENE MR 7 2017
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 7 2017
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 7 2017
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 7 2017
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 7 2017
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 7 2017
Benzene MR 7 2017
Styrene MR 7 2017
CYANIDE MR 6 2017
Fluoride MR 6 2017
Antimony, Total MR 6 2017
Asbestos MR 6 2017
Selenium MR 6 2017
Arsenic MR 6 2017

Verify This Water System

The figures above are aggregated from EPA's public databases. To verify the underlying records, or to file a complaint, request a Consumer Confidence Report, or check current monitoring status, go directly to the federal and state regulators that enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act for Elbow Lake.

Federal Source of Truth

EPA SDWIS, Federal Reports

EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) holds the federal compliance record for every regulated public water system. Open the system-level report by PWS ID:

View PWS ID 055294705 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

EPA Region 5 — Tribal Water Systems Drinking Water Authority

EPA Region 5 — Tribal Water Systems's primacy agency administers the Safe Drinking Water Act locally. Search EPA SDWIS for the current state contact, or use the state's public health or environment department portal.

Find 05 regulator via EPA SDWIS

Violation Timeline

Each row links to the EPA SDWIS public record for verification. Cross-reference the contaminant code on EPA's federal report to see violation dates, return-to-compliance status, and enforcement actions.

Year (latest) Contaminant Category Count EPA Record
2024 Groundwater Rule TT 4 SDWIS / 055294705 / 0700
2024 Chlorine MR 3 SDWIS / 055294705 / 0999
2024 Revised Total Coliform Rule RPT 3 SDWIS / 055294705 / 8000
2022 Nitrate MR 4 SDWIS / 055294705 / 1040
2022 Nitrite MR 4 SDWIS / 055294705 / 1041
2022 Nitrate-Nitrite MR 4 SDWIS / 055294705 / 1038
2020 Tetrachloroethylene MR 10 SDWIS / 055294705 / 2987
2018 Lead and Copper Rule MR 12 SDWIS / 055294705 / 5000
2017 cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 7 SDWIS / 055294705 / 2380
2017 Xylenes, Total MR 7 SDWIS / 055294705 / 2955
2017 p-Dichlorobenzene MR 7 SDWIS / 055294705 / 2969
2017 Vinyl chloride MR 7 SDWIS / 055294705 / 2976
2017 1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 7 SDWIS / 055294705 / 2977
2017 trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 7 SDWIS / 055294705 / 2979
2017 1,2-Dichloropropane MR 7 SDWIS / 055294705 / 2983

How Elbow Lake Compares

Cross-reference this system's record against state averages and the federal MCL framework for context.

Metric Elbow Lake EPA Region 5 — Tribal Water Systems avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 408 - SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 14 - Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None - EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 50 - Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across all regulated public water systems in EPA Region 5 — Tribal Water Systems.

Federal MCL reference, Safe Drinking Water Act thresholds ▼
Contaminant Federal MCL / Action Level Note
Lead 0 mg/L (Action Level: 0.015 mg/L) Lead and Copper Rule treatment technique
Arsenic 0.010 mg/L (10 ppb) Health-based MCL since 2006
Total Coliform Treatment technique (RTCR) Indicator organism, monitoring trigger
PFOA / PFOS (PFAS) 4.0 ppt each (final 2024 rule) Compliance deadline 2029 (EPA proposed extending to 2031, not yet final as of May 2026)
Nitrate (as N) 10 mg/L Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Elbow Lake water safe to drink? ▼
Elbow Lake (PWS ID: 055294705) has 408 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 50 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Elbow Lake serve? ▼
Elbow Lake serves 50 people in White Earth, EPA Region 5 — Tribal Water Systems. It is a Native American-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 13 service connections.
What type of violations does Elbow Lake have? ▼
Elbow Lake has 408 total violations: 14 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 383 monitoring/reporting violations, and 4 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Elbow Lake water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Elbow Lake under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Elbow Lake use? ▼
Elbow Lake uses Groundwater as its primary water source. It is classified as a Community Water System (CWS), serving residential populations year-round.
Where does this data come from? ▼
All data comes from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and the UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program. SDWIS tracks compliance for all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Data Sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), Q4 2025. This data is provided for informational purposes only.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

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 system's figures are rendered directly from 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.