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Community Water System · PWS AK2300214

Ambler Community Water System

Ambler, Alaska 99786 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 261 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

261
People served
679
EPA violations
32
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 679 drinking-water violations at Ambler Community Water System, 5% of them health-based - above the Alaska per-system average.

679
Total EPA violations on record
5%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
261
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Ambler Community Water System

Ambler Community Water System is a native american-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 261 residents in Ambler, Alaska (Northwest Arctic Borough County) through 70 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 679 total violations for this system , of which 32 (5%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 466 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 29 violations (MR). This system has not yet been sampled under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, so no PFAS detection data is available here.

Across Alaska, EPA tracks 1,326 public water systems serving 862,218 people, with 267,144 cumulative violations and 13,963 health-based violations on record. About 98% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 201.5 violations. Statewide, 10 of 30 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (33.3%).

Ambler Community Water System's 679 violations sit above the Alaska average.

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
261
Total Violations
679
Health-Based Violations
32
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Native American
Connections
70
County
Northwest Arctic Borough
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
25
Monitoring Violations
466
Treatment Tech Violations
7

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 29 2014
Chlorine MR 27 2016
Coliform (TCR) MCL 22 2004
Benzene MR 17 2020
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 17 2011
Nitrate MR 16 2023
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 15 2020
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 15 2020
Carbon tetrachloride MR 15 2020
Trichloroethylene MR 15 2020
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 15 2020
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 15 2020
Vinyl chloride MR 14 2020
Xylenes, Total MR 10 2020
Toluene MR 10 2020
Ethylbenzene MR 10 2020
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 8 2020
Tetrachloroethylene MR 8 2020
Total Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) MR 8 1995
Pentachlorophenol MR 8 1995
Heptachlor MR 8 1995
Atrazine MR 8 1995
Aldicarb sulfoxide MR 8 1995
Aldicarb MR 8 1995
2,4,5-TP MR 8 1995
Toxaphene MR 8 1995
Heptachlor epoxide MR 8 1995
Chlordane MR 8 1995
BHC-GAMMA MR 8 1995
2,4-D MR 8 1995

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 Ambler Community 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 AK2300214 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Alaska Drinking Water Authority

Alaska'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 AK 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 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 5 SDWIS / AK2300214 / 8000
2024 Public Notice Other 1 SDWIS / AK2300214 / 7500
2024 LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS RPT 1 SDWIS / AK2300214 / 5200
2024 LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS TT 1 SDWIS / AK2300214 / 5200
2023 Nitrate MR 16 SDWIS / AK2300214 / 1040
2023 Lead and Copper Rule MR 7 SDWIS / AK2300214 / 5000
2023 Groundwater Rule TT 6 SDWIS / AK2300214 / 0700
2020 Benzene MR 17 SDWIS / AK2300214 / 2990
2020 p-Dichlorobenzene MR 15 SDWIS / AK2300214 / 2969
2020 1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 15 SDWIS / AK2300214 / 2981
2020 Carbon tetrachloride MR 15 SDWIS / AK2300214 / 2982
2020 Trichloroethylene MR 15 SDWIS / AK2300214 / 2984
2020 1,2-Dichloroethane MR 15 SDWIS / AK2300214 / 2980
2020 1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 15 SDWIS / AK2300214 / 2977
2020 Vinyl chloride MR 14 SDWIS / AK2300214 / 2976

How Ambler Community Water System Compares

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

Metric Ambler Community Water System Alaska avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 679 201.5 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 32 10.5 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 33.3% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 261 650 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 1,326 regulated public water systems in Alaska.

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 Ambler Community Water System water safe to drink? ▼
Ambler Community Water System (PWS ID: AK2300214) has 679 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 261 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Ambler Community Water System serve? ▼
Ambler Community Water System serves 261 people in Ambler, Alaska. It is a Native American-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 70 service connections.
What type of violations does Ambler Community Water System have? ▼
Ambler Community Water System has 679 total violations: 32 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 466 monitoring/reporting violations, and 7 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Ambler Community Water System water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Ambler Community Water System under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Ambler Community Water System use? ▼
Ambler Community Water System 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.