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Community Water System · PWS AR0000616

Oden-Pencil Bluff Water Assn

Oden, Arkansas 71961 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 393 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

393
People served
855
EPA violations
729
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 855 drinking-water violations at Oden-Pencil Bluff Water Assn, 85% of them health-based - above the Arkansas per-system average.

855
Total EPA violations on record
85%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
393
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Oden-Pencil Bluff Water Assn

Oden-Pencil Bluff Water Assn is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 393 residents in Oden, Arkansas (Montgomery County) through 162 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 855 total violations for this system , of which 729 (85%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 74 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2023.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Surface Water Treatment Rule, recorded in 523 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%).

Oden-Pencil Bluff Water Assn's 855 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
393
Total Violations
855
Health-Based Violations
729
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
162
County
Montgomery
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
117
Monitoring Violations
74
Treatment Tech Violations
612

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 523 2007
TTHM MCL 90 2023
Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule TT 89 2006
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 45 2018
Coliform (TCR) MCL 27 2011
Coliform (TCR) MR 22 1997
Revised Total Coliform Rule RPT 19 2018
Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 7 1997
Coliform (TCR) Other 6 1997
Surface Water Treatment Rule Other 4 1999
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 2018
Coliform (Pre-TCR) Other 1 1990

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 Oden-Pencil Bluff Water Assn.

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 AR0000616 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
2023 TTHM MCL 90 SDWIS / AR0000616 / 2950
2018 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 45 SDWIS / AR0000616 / 8000
2018 Revised Total Coliform Rule RPT 19 SDWIS / AR0000616 / 8000
2018 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 SDWIS / AR0000616 / 7000
2011 Coliform (TCR) MCL 27 SDWIS / AR0000616 / 3100
2007 Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 523 SDWIS / AR0000616 / 0200
2006 Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule TT 89 SDWIS / AR0000616 / 0400
1999 Surface Water Treatment Rule Other 4 SDWIS / AR0000616 / 0200
1997 Coliform (TCR) MR 22 SDWIS / AR0000616 / 3100
1997 Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 7 SDWIS / AR0000616 / 0200
1997 Coliform (TCR) Other 6 SDWIS / AR0000616 / 3100
1990 Coliform (Pre-TCR) Other 1 SDWIS / AR0000616 / 3000

How Oden-Pencil Bluff Water Assn Compares

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

Metric Oden-Pencil Bluff Water Assn Arkansas avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 855 52.6 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 729 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 393 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 Oden-Pencil Bluff Water Assn water safe to drink? ▼
Oden-Pencil Bluff Water Assn (PWS ID: AR0000616) has 855 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 393 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Oden-Pencil Bluff Water Assn serve? ▼
Oden-Pencil Bluff Water Assn serves 393 people in Oden, Arkansas. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 162 service connections.
What type of violations does Oden-Pencil Bluff Water Assn have? ▼
Oden-Pencil Bluff Water Assn has 855 total violations: 729 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 74 monitoring/reporting violations, and 612 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Oden-Pencil Bluff Water Assn water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Oden-Pencil Bluff Water Assn under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Oden-Pencil Bluff Water Assn use? ▼
Oden-Pencil Bluff Water Assn 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.