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States → EPA Region 8 — Tribal Water Systems

Community Water System · PWS 084690478

Wounded Knee Water System

Pine Ridge, EPA Region 8 — Tribal Water Systems 57770 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 255 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

255
People served
86
EPA violations
17
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 86 drinking-water violations at Wounded Knee Water System, 20% of them health-based.

86
Total EPA violations on record
20%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
255
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Wounded Knee Water System

Wounded Knee Water System is a native american-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 255 residents in Pine Ridge, EPA Region 8 — Tribal Water Systems through 51 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 86 total violations for this system , of which 17 (20%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 59 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2025.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 25 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 8 — 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
255
Total Violations
86
Health-Based Violations
17
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Native American
Connections
51
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
15
Monitoring Violations
59
Treatment Tech Violations
2

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 25 2005
Coliform (TCR) MCL 15 2002
Lead and Copper Rule MR 12 2022
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 9 2010
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 4 2025
TTHM MR 4 2025
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 2 1982
Nitrate MR 2 1994
Groundwater Rule TT 1 2019
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 1 2019
Asbestos MR 1 2020
Mercury MR 1 1983
Cadmium MR 1 1983
Barium MR 1 1983
Arsenic MR 1 1983
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 1 1976
Chromium MR 1 1983
Fluoride MR 1 1983
Selenium MR 1 1983
Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 1 2022

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 Wounded Knee Water System.

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 084690478 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

EPA Region 8 — Tribal Water Systems Drinking Water Authority

EPA Region 8 — 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 08 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
2025 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 4 SDWIS / 084690478 / 2456
2025 TTHM MR 4 SDWIS / 084690478 / 2950
2022 Lead and Copper Rule MR 12 SDWIS / 084690478 / 5000
2022 Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 1 SDWIS / 084690478 / 0800
2020 Asbestos MR 1 SDWIS / 084690478 / 1094
2019 Groundwater Rule TT 1 SDWIS / 084690478 / 0700
2019 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 1 SDWIS / 084690478 / 8000
2010 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 9 SDWIS / 084690478 / 7000
2005 Coliform (TCR) MR 25 SDWIS / 084690478 / 3100
2002 Coliform (TCR) MCL 15 SDWIS / 084690478 / 3100
1994 Nitrate MR 2 SDWIS / 084690478 / 1040
1983 Mercury MR 1 SDWIS / 084690478 / 1035
1983 Cadmium MR 1 SDWIS / 084690478 / 1015
1983 Barium MR 1 SDWIS / 084690478 / 1010
1983 Arsenic MR 1 SDWIS / 084690478 / 1005

How Wounded Knee Water System Compares

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

Metric Wounded Knee Water System EPA Region 8 — Tribal Water Systems avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 86 - SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 17 - Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None - EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 255 - 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 8 — 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 Wounded Knee Water System water safe to drink? ▼
Wounded Knee Water System (PWS ID: 084690478) has 86 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 255 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Wounded Knee Water System serve? ▼
Wounded Knee Water System serves 255 people in Pine Ridge, EPA Region 8 — Tribal Water Systems. It is a Native American-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 51 service connections.
What type of violations does Wounded Knee Water System have? ▼
Wounded Knee Water System has 86 total violations: 17 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 59 monitoring/reporting violations, and 2 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Wounded Knee Water System water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Wounded Knee Water System under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Wounded Knee Water System use? ▼
Wounded Knee Water System uses Surface Water 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.