University of Alaska - Fairbanks

Water Quality Snapshot: University of Alaska - Fairbanks

University of Alaska - Fairbanks is a state-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 6,200 residents in Fairbanks, Alaska (Fairbanks North Star Borough County) through 100 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 234 total violations for this system , of which 56 (24%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 105 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 TTHM, recorded in 39 violations (MCL, health-based). Under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, 2 PFAS compounds were detected in samples collected from this system, with a maximum reported concentration of 5.7 ppt (parts per trillion). PFAS are persistent synthetic chemicals linked to health effects at very low exposure levels.

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%).

University of Alaska - Fairbanks's 234 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.