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Community Water System · PWS AR0000174

Watson Waterworks

Watson, Arkansas 71674 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 166 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

166
People served
173
EPA violations
137
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 173 drinking-water violations at Watson Waterworks, 79% of them health-based - above the Arkansas per-system average.

173
Total EPA violations on record
79%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
166
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Watson Waterworks

Watson Waterworks is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 166 residents in Watson, Arkansas (Desha County) through 102 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 173 total violations for this system , of which 137 (79%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 21 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2015.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule, recorded in 109 violations (TT, 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%).

Watson Waterworks's 173 violations sit above 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
166
Total Violations
173
Health-Based Violations
137
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
102
County
Desha
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
5
Monitoring Violations
21
Treatment Tech Violations
132

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule TT 109 2013
Groundwater Rule TT 23 2013
Coliform (TCR) MR 16 2014
Public Notice Other 15 2015
E. COLI MR 5 2014
Coliform (TCR) MCL 5 2014

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 Watson 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 AR0000174 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
2015 Public Notice Other 15 SDWIS / AR0000174 / 7500
2014 Coliform (TCR) MR 16 SDWIS / AR0000174 / 3100
2014 E. COLI MR 5 SDWIS / AR0000174 / 3014
2014 Coliform (TCR) MCL 5 SDWIS / AR0000174 / 3100
2013 Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule TT 109 SDWIS / AR0000174 / 0400
2013 Groundwater Rule TT 23 SDWIS / AR0000174 / 0700

How Watson Waterworks Compares

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

Metric Watson Waterworks Arkansas avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 173 52.6 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 137 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 166 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 Watson Waterworks water safe to drink? ▼
Watson Waterworks (PWS ID: AR0000174) has 173 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 166 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Watson Waterworks serve? ▼
Watson Waterworks serves 166 people in Watson, Arkansas. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 102 service connections.
What type of violations does Watson Waterworks have? ▼
Watson Waterworks has 173 total violations: 137 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 21 monitoring/reporting violations, and 132 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Watson Waterworks water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Watson Waterworks under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Watson Waterworks use? ▼
Watson 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.