Community Water System · PWS AL0000580
Highland Water Authority
Operator location Gadsden, Alabama - UCMR5 detected 8 PFAS compounds (upper-third PFAS panel (> 4 compounds)) on this PWS; SDWIS lists 98 violations and 3,963 people served.
- 3,963
- People served (this PWS)
- 98
- EPA violations (this PWS)
- 6
- Health-based (this PWS)
- 8 PFAS
- UCMR5 (this PWS)
Highland Water Authority standing, high SDWIS violation third
UCMR5 detected 8 PFAS compounds - upper-third PFAS panel (> 4 compounds). Corpus terciles use 29,740 systems serving 500+ (the sitemap cohort). Health-based share 6% is middle-third health share (≤ 23%). UCMR5: upper-third PFAS panel (> 4 compounds). Population rank #8,925 of 29,740 among systems serving 500+.
The verdict
Highland Water Authority sits in the upper third of the sitemap cohort by violation count (98), so the tables below sample a dense compliance trail rather than a near-clean ledger. Population served is large (3,963; larger served population (> 3,309)), so household exposure scale sits behind the violation mix. Health-based share is 6% (middle-third health share (≤ 23%)). UCMR5 detected 8 PFAS compounds (upper-third PFAS panel (> 4 compounds)).
- #8,925 of 29,740
- Population · /systems
- #264 of 487
- Population · AL
- 98
- Total EPA violations on record
- 6%
- Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
Population ordinals match the sitemap cohort (systems serving 500+, population_served DESC). See methodology · corpus placement.
8 PFAS "forever chemicals" detected in testing under EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
System Details
- System Type
- Community
- Owner Type
- Local
- Connections
- 1,321
- County
- Etowah
- School/Daycare
- No
- MCL Violations
- 6
- Monitoring Violations
- 92
- Treatment Tech Violations
- 0
Violation History
Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.
| Contaminant | Category | Count | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | MR | 46 | 2019 |
| Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) | MR | 46 | 2019 |
| Coliform (TCR) | MCL | 6 | 2014 |
Violation Count vs. the National Corpus
Highland Water Authority has 98 recorded EPA violations, 73% of the 29,740 public water systems serving 500+ people nationwide carry fewer, and 27% carry more. 6% of this system's own violations are health-based (6 of 98), and it ranks #8,925 of 29,740 by population served among that same cohort.
EPA violations vs. the national water-system corpus
Public water systems serving 500+ people (EPA SDWIS)
98 Around the middle fewer violations than 27% of 29,740 water systems
the national water-system corpus, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more water systems. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source EPA SDWIS · 2026-05-15
PFAS Testing Results (UCMR5)
Results from EPA's Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule. 29 of 116 samples detected PFAS.
| Contaminant | Date | Result | MRL | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PFOS | 9/10/2024 | 4.70 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Detected |
| 8:2 FTS | 9/10/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| HFPO-DA | 9/10/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFPeS | 9/10/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| NFDHA | 9/10/2024 | <20.00 ppt | 20.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFEESA | 9/10/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFMBA | 9/10/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFPeA | 9/10/2024 | 28.30 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFBS | 9/10/2024 | 51.30 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFHpA | 9/10/2024 | 4.10 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFHxS | 9/10/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHpS | 9/10/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFNA | 9/10/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFOA | 9/10/2024 | 10.10 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFDA | 9/10/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFDoA | 9/10/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHxA | 9/10/2024 | 14.30 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFUnA | 9/10/2024 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 11Cl-PF3OUdS | 9/10/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 9Cl-PF3ONS | 9/10/2024 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| ADONA | 9/10/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 4:2 FTS | 9/10/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 6:2 FTS | 9/10/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFBA | 9/10/2024 | 16.60 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFMPA | 9/10/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFOS | 8/7/2024 | 4.10 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFOA | 8/7/2024 | 9.30 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFDA | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFDoA | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFUnA | 8/7/2024 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 11Cl-PF3OUdS | 8/7/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 9Cl-PF3ONS | 8/7/2024 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| ADONA | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| HFPO-DA | 8/7/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFBA | 8/7/2024 | 12.90 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFBS | 8/7/2024 | 47.70 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
| 6:2 FTS | 8/7/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHxA | 8/7/2024 | 10.80 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFPeS | 8/7/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 4:2 FTS | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 8:2 FTS | 8/7/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFMPA | 8/7/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFPeA | 8/7/2024 | 19.90 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFMBA | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFEESA | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFNA | 8/7/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| NFDHA | 8/7/2024 | <20.00 ppt | 20.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHxS | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHpS | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHpA | 8/7/2024 | 4.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
UCMR5 PFAS record for Highland Water Authority
Open EPA SDWIS federal reports for PWS AL0000580 to cross-check UCMR5 detections and violation codes; state primacy agencies enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act locally.
Sources: EPA SDWIS
Nationwide peers
98 violations · 3,963 served: nearest cross-state SDWIS matches.
Cross-state systems with comparable violation load
Nearest cross-state community systems (500+ served) by total SDWIS violations on record.
Cross-state systems with similar served population
Nearest cross-state systems by EPA SDWIS population_served (same 500+ sitemap gate).
What to do with Highland Water Authority
Use this system's EPA-reported record as a starting filter, not a final verdict.
- See how every tracked system in Alabama compares on the same EPA violation measures. Alabama systems
- Check whether PFAS was detected at this system under UCMR5 testing. PFAS guide
- Find and compare another public water system by name or PWSID. Search systems
EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 figures are informational only, not a substitute for a certified lab test of your own tap water.