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Community Water System · PWS AR0000026

Big Flat Waterworks

Big Flat, Arkansas 72617 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 523 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

523
People served
24
EPA violations
10
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 24 drinking-water violations at Big Flat Waterworks, 42% of them health-based - below the Arkansas per-system average.

24
Total EPA violations on record
42%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
523
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Big Flat Waterworks

Big Flat Waterworks is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 523 residents in Big Flat, Arkansas (Baxter County) through 208 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 24 total violations for this system , of which 10 (42%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 5 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 Fluoride, recorded in 5 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 Arkansas, EPA tracks 1,016 public water systems serving 3,049,400 people, with 53,437 cumulative violations and 21,598 health-based violations on record. About 94% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 52.6 violations. Statewide, 57 of 172 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (33.1%).

Big Flat Waterworks's 24 violations sit below the Arkansas 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
523
Total Violations
24
Health-Based Violations
10
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
208
County
Baxter
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
8
Monitoring Violations
5
Treatment Tech Violations
2

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Fluoride MCL 5 1985
Coliform (TCR) MCL 3 2004
Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 2 1998
Coliform (TCR) MR 2 2008
Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 2 1998
Chlorine MR 1 2025
Surface Water Treatment Rule Other 1 1998

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 Big Flat Waterworks.

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 AR0000026 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Arkansas Drinking Water Authority

Arkansas'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 AR 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 Chlorine MR 1 SDWIS / AR0000026 / 0999
2008 Coliform (TCR) MR 2 SDWIS / AR0000026 / 3100
2004 Coliform (TCR) MCL 3 SDWIS / AR0000026 / 3100
1998 Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 2 SDWIS / AR0000026 / 0200
1998 Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 2 SDWIS / AR0000026 / 0200
1998 Surface Water Treatment Rule Other 1 SDWIS / AR0000026 / 0200
1985 Fluoride MCL 5 SDWIS / AR0000026 / 1025

How Big Flat Waterworks Compares

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

Metric Big Flat Waterworks Arkansas avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 24 52.6 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 10 21.3 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 33.1% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 523 3,001 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 1,016 regulated public water systems in Arkansas.

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 Big Flat Waterworks water safe to drink? ▼
Big Flat Waterworks (PWS ID: AR0000026) has 24 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 523 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Big Flat Waterworks serve? ▼
Big Flat Waterworks serves 523 people in Big Flat, Arkansas. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 208 service connections.
What type of violations does Big Flat Waterworks have? ▼
Big Flat Waterworks has 24 total violations: 10 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 5 monitoring/reporting violations, and 2 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Big Flat Waterworks water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Big Flat Waterworks under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Big Flat Waterworks use? ▼
Big Flat Waterworks 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.