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Community Water System · PWS AL0000311

Cherokee Water & Gas Department

Cherokee, Alabama 35616 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 1,992 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

1,992
People served
59
EPA violations
18
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 59 drinking-water violations at Cherokee Water & Gas Department, 31% of them health-based - below the Alabama per-system average.

59
Total EPA violations on record
31%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
1,992
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Cherokee Water & Gas Department

Cherokee Water & Gas Department is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 1,992 residents in Cherokee, Alabama (Colbert County) through 664 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 59 total violations for this system , of which 18 (31%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 30 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2021.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is ETHYLENE DIBROMIDE, recorded in 10 violations (MCL, health-based). This system has not yet been sampled under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, so no PFAS detection data is available here.

Across Alabama, EPA tracks 562 public water systems serving 6,193,356 people, with 40,486 cumulative violations and 3,786 health-based violations on record. About 99% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 72 violations. Statewide, 157 of 306 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (51.3%).

Cherokee Water & Gas Department's 59 violations sit below the Alabama 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
1,992
Total Violations
59
Health-Based Violations
18
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
664
County
Colbert
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
18
Monitoring Violations
30
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
ETHYLENE DIBROMIDE MCL 10 1993
Lead and Copper Rule MR 5 2014
Coliform (TCR) MCL 4 2009
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL 4 2021
Cadmium MR 3 1985
Coliform (TCR) MR 2 1992
Public Notice Other 2 2015
TTHM MR 2 2019
Barium MR 2 1985
Chromium MR 2 1985
Selenium MR 2 1985
Fluoride MR 2 1985
Nitrate MR 2 1985
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 2 1985
Mercury MR 2 1985
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 2 2019
Arsenic MR 2 1985

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 Cherokee Water & Gas Department.

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 AL0000311 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Alabama Drinking Water Authority

Alabama'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 AL 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
2021 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL 4 SDWIS / AL0000311 / 2456
2019 TTHM MR 2 SDWIS / AL0000311 / 2950
2019 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 2 SDWIS / AL0000311 / 2456
2015 Public Notice Other 2 SDWIS / AL0000311 / 7500
2014 Lead and Copper Rule MR 5 SDWIS / AL0000311 / 5000
2009 Coliform (TCR) MCL 4 SDWIS / AL0000311 / 3100
1993 ETHYLENE DIBROMIDE MCL 10 SDWIS / AL0000311 / 2946
1992 Coliform (TCR) MR 2 SDWIS / AL0000311 / 3100
1985 Cadmium MR 3 SDWIS / AL0000311 / 1015
1985 Barium MR 2 SDWIS / AL0000311 / 1010
1985 Chromium MR 2 SDWIS / AL0000311 / 1020
1985 Selenium MR 2 SDWIS / AL0000311 / 1045
1985 Fluoride MR 2 SDWIS / AL0000311 / 1025
1985 Nitrate MR 2 SDWIS / AL0000311 / 1040
1985 Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 2 SDWIS / AL0000311 / 4000

How Cherokee Water & Gas Department Compares

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

Metric Cherokee Water & Gas Department Alabama avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 59 72 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 18 6.7 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 51.3% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 1,992 11,020 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 562 regulated public water systems in Alabama.

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 Cherokee Water & Gas Department water safe to drink? ▼
Cherokee Water & Gas Department (PWS ID: AL0000311) has 59 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 1,992 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Cherokee Water & Gas Department serve? ▼
Cherokee Water & Gas Department serves 1,992 people in Cherokee, Alabama. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 664 service connections.
What type of violations does Cherokee Water & Gas Department have? ▼
Cherokee Water & Gas Department has 59 total violations: 18 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 30 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Cherokee Water & Gas Department water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Cherokee Water & Gas Department under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Cherokee Water & Gas Department use? ▼
Cherokee Water & Gas Department 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.