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Community Water System · PWS AR0000647

Chester Water Works

Alma, Arkansas 72921 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 223 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

223
People served
69
EPA violations
13
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 69 drinking-water violations at Chester Water Works, 19% of them health-based - above the Arkansas per-system average.

69
Total EPA violations on record
19%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
223
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Chester Water Works

Chester Water Works is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 223 residents in Alma, Arkansas (Crawford County) through 84 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 69 total violations for this system , of which 13 (19%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 26 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 Revised Total Coliform Rule, recorded in 14 violations (MON). 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%).

Chester Water Works's 69 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
223
Total Violations
69
Health-Based Violations
13
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
84
County
Crawford
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
13
Monitoring Violations
26
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 14 2022
Coliform (TCR) MCL 13 2011
Coliform (TCR) Other 12 2000
Coliform (TCR) MR 11 2002
Revised Total Coliform Rule RPT 8 2022
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 2006
Public Notice Other 1 2020
Surface Water Treatment Rule Other 1 1995
Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 1 2002

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 Chester Water Works.

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 AR0000647 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
2022 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 14 SDWIS / AR0000647 / 8000
2022 Revised Total Coliform Rule RPT 8 SDWIS / AR0000647 / 8000
2020 Public Notice Other 1 SDWIS / AR0000647 / 7500
2011 Coliform (TCR) MCL 13 SDWIS / AR0000647 / 3100
2006 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 SDWIS / AR0000647 / 7000
2002 Coliform (TCR) MR 11 SDWIS / AR0000647 / 3100
2002 Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 1 SDWIS / AR0000647 / 0200
2000 Coliform (TCR) Other 12 SDWIS / AR0000647 / 3100
1995 Surface Water Treatment Rule Other 1 SDWIS / AR0000647 / 0200

How Chester Water Works Compares

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

Metric Chester Water Works Arkansas avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 69 52.6 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 13 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 223 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 Chester Water Works water safe to drink? ▼
Chester Water Works (PWS ID: AR0000647) has 69 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 223 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Chester Water Works serve? ▼
Chester Water Works serves 223 people in Alma, Arkansas. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 84 service connections.
What type of violations does Chester Water Works have? ▼
Chester Water Works has 69 total violations: 13 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 26 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Chester Water Works water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Chester Water Works under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Chester Water Works use? ▼
Chester Water Works 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.