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Community Water System · PWS AL0001148

Alabaster Water Board

Alabaster, Alabama 35007 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 41,061 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

41,061
People served
133
EPA violations
5
Health-based
8 PFAS
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 133 drinking-water violations at Alabaster Water Board, 4% of them health-based - above the Alabama per-system average, and UCMR5 testing detected 8 PFAS compounds.

133
Total EPA violations on record
4%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
41,061
People served by this system
8
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Alabaster Water Board

Alabaster Water Board is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 41,061 residents in Alabaster, Alabama (Shelby County) through 13,158 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 133 total violations for this system , of which 5 (4%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 124 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2022.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is CARBON, TOTAL, recorded in 6 violations (MR). Under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, 8 PFAS compounds were detected in samples collected from this system, with a maximum reported concentration of 85 ppt (parts per trillion). PFAS are persistent synthetic chemicals linked to health effects at very low exposure levels.

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%).

Alabaster Water Board's 133 violations sit above 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.

PFAS Detected

8 PFAS "forever chemicals" detected in testing under EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.

Population Served
41,061
Total Violations
133
Health-Based Violations
5
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
13,158
County
Shelby
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
3
Monitoring Violations
124
Treatment Tech Violations
2

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
CARBON, TOTAL MR 6 2021
Coliform (TCR) MR 5 1993
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 5 1997
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 5 1997
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 5 1997
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 5 1997
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 5 1997
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 5 1997
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 5 1997
Trichloroethylene MR 5 1997
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 5 1997
CHLOROBENZENE MR 5 1997
Toluene MR 5 1997
Benzene MR 5 1997
Ethylbenzene MR 5 1997
Styrene MR 5 1997
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 5 1997
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 5 1997
Tetrachloroethylene MR 5 1997
Carbon tetrachloride MR 5 1997
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 5 1997
Vinyl chloride MR 5 1997
Xylenes, Total MR 3 1997
Coliform (TCR) MCL 3 1992
TTHM MR 2 2022
Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 2 1994
1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE MR 2 1989
ETHYLENE DIBROMIDE MR 2 1989
LASSO MR 2 2020
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 2 2022

PFAS Testing Results (UCMR5)

Results from EPA's Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule. 43 of 406 samples detected PFAS.

Contaminant Date Result MRL Status
ADONA 9/16/2024 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
9Cl-PF3ONS 9/16/2024 <2.00 ppt 2.00 ppt Not Detected
11Cl-PF3OUdS 9/16/2024 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
PFUnA 9/16/2024 <2.00 ppt 2.00 ppt Not Detected
PFHxA 9/16/2024 19.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Detected
PFDoA 9/16/2024 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFMPA 9/16/2024 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected
PFOA 9/16/2024 21.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Detected
PFOS 9/16/2024 19.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Detected
HFPO-DA 9/16/2024 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
PFDA 9/16/2024 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFPeA 9/16/2024 32.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Detected
PFMBA 9/16/2024 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFEESA 9/16/2024 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
NFDHA 9/16/2024 <20.00 ppt 20.00 ppt Not Detected
PFPeS 9/16/2024 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected
PFHxS 9/16/2024 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFHpS 9/16/2024 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFBA 9/16/2024 13.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Detected
PFBS 9/16/2024 85.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Detected
PFNA 9/16/2024 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected
PFHpA 9/16/2024 6.50 ppt 3.00 ppt Detected
8:2 FTS 9/16/2024 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
4:2 FTS 9/16/2024 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
6:2 FTS 9/16/2024 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
NMeFOSAA 7/17/2024 <6.00 ppt 6.00 ppt Not Detected
NEtFOSAA 7/17/2024 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
PFTrDA 7/17/2024 <7.00 ppt 7.00 ppt Not Detected
PFTA 7/17/2024 <8.00 ppt 8.00 ppt Not Detected
PFOA 7/17/2024 4.80 ppt 4.00 ppt Detected
8:2 FTS 7/17/2024 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
PFHxS 7/17/2024 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFHpA 7/17/2024 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFBS 7/17/2024 4.20 ppt 3.00 ppt Detected
PFHpS 7/17/2024 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFPeS 7/17/2024 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected
NFDHA 7/17/2024 <20.00 ppt 20.00 ppt Not Detected
PFEESA 7/17/2024 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFMBA 7/17/2024 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFPeA 7/17/2024 7.70 ppt 3.00 ppt Detected
PFMPA 7/17/2024 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected
PFTrDA 7/17/2024 <7.00 ppt 7.00 ppt Not Detected
PFOS 7/17/2024 6.90 ppt 4.00 ppt Detected
NEtFOSAA 7/17/2024 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
PFDA 7/17/2024 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFDoA 7/17/2024 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFHxA 7/17/2024 5.60 ppt 3.00 ppt Detected
PFUnA 7/17/2024 <2.00 ppt 2.00 ppt Not Detected
11Cl-PF3OUdS 7/17/2024 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
9Cl-PF3ONS 7/17/2024 <2.00 ppt 2.00 ppt Not Detected

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 Alabaster Water Board.

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 AL0001148 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
2022 TTHM MR 2 SDWIS / AL0001148 / 2950
2022 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 2 SDWIS / AL0001148 / 2456
2021 CARBON, TOTAL MR 6 SDWIS / AL0001148 / 2920
2020 LASSO MR 2 SDWIS / AL0001148 / 2051
1997 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 5 SDWIS / AL0001148 / 2378
1997 o-Dichlorobenzene MR 5 SDWIS / AL0001148 / 2968
1997 p-Dichlorobenzene MR 5 SDWIS / AL0001148 / 2969
1997 trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 5 SDWIS / AL0001148 / 2979
1997 1,2-Dichloroethane MR 5 SDWIS / AL0001148 / 2980
1997 1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 5 SDWIS / AL0001148 / 2981
1997 1,2-Dichloropropane MR 5 SDWIS / AL0001148 / 2983
1997 Trichloroethylene MR 5 SDWIS / AL0001148 / 2984
1997 1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 5 SDWIS / AL0001148 / 2985
1997 CHLOROBENZENE MR 5 SDWIS / AL0001148 / 2989
1997 Toluene MR 5 SDWIS / AL0001148 / 2991

How Alabaster Water Board Compares

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

Metric Alabaster Water Board Alabama avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 133 72 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 5 6.7 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection 8 compounds 51.3% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 41,061 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 Alabaster Water Board water safe to drink?
Alabaster Water Board (PWS ID: AL0001148) has 133 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. PFAS contamination has been detected in UCMR5 testing, with 8 PFAS compounds found. This system serves 41,061 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Alabaster Water Board serve?
Alabaster Water Board serves 41,061 people in Alabaster, Alabama. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 13,158 service connections.
What type of violations does Alabaster Water Board have?
Alabaster Water Board has 133 total violations: 5 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 124 monitoring/reporting violations, and 2 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Alabaster Water Board water?
Yes. UCMR5 testing detected 8 PFAS compounds in Alabaster Water Board's water supply: PFHxA, PFOA, PFOS, PFPeA, PFBA, and others. PFAS are persistent "forever chemicals" that do not break down in the environment.
What water source does Alabaster Water Board use?
Alabaster Water Board 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. PFAS data from EPA UCMR5 monitoring program (2023-2025). This data is provided for informational purposes only.
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.