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Non-Transient Non-Community Water System · PWS CA4900679

Fort Ross School District

Cazadero, California 95421 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 100 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

100
People served
49
EPA violations
12
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 49 drinking-water violations at Fort Ross School District, 24% of them health-based - above the California per-system average.

49
Total EPA violations on record
24%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
100
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Fort Ross School District

Fort Ross School District is a local-owned non-transient non-community water system that delivers drinking water to 100 residents in Cazadero, California (Sonoma County) through 2 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 49 total violations for this system , of which 12 (24%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 10 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2009.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5), recorded in 6 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 California, EPA tracks 7,249 public water systems serving 42,404,883 people, with 153,308 cumulative violations and 63,983 health-based violations on record. About 89% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 21.1 violations. Statewide, 231 of 694 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (33.3%).

Fort Ross School District's 49 violations sit above the California 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
100
Total Violations
49
Health-Based Violations
12
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Non-Transient Non-Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
2
County
Sonoma
School/Daycare
Yes
MCL Violations
12
Monitoring Violations
10
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL 6 2009
TTHM MCL 6 2009
Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 4 2000
TTHM MR 2 2008
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 2 2008
Coliform (TCR) MR 2 2000

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 Fort Ross School District.

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 CA4900679 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

California Drinking Water Authority

California State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water is the primacy agency that licenses and inspects Fort Ross School District under EPA-delegated authority.

Open CA regulator portal

Source: California State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water

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
2009 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL 6 SDWIS / CA4900679 / 2456
2009 TTHM MCL 6 SDWIS / CA4900679 / 2950
2008 TTHM MR 2 SDWIS / CA4900679 / 2950
2008 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 2 SDWIS / CA4900679 / 2456
2000 Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 4 SDWIS / CA4900679 / 0200
2000 Coliform (TCR) MR 2 SDWIS / CA4900679 / 3100

How Fort Ross School District Compares

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

Metric Fort Ross School District California avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 49 21.1 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 12 8.8 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 33.3% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 100 5,850 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 7,249 regulated public water systems in California.

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 Fort Ross School District water safe to drink? ▼
Fort Ross School District (PWS ID: CA4900679) has 49 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 100 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Fort Ross School District serve? ▼
Fort Ross School District serves 100 people in Cazadero, California. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 2 service connections.
What type of violations does Fort Ross School District have? ▼
Fort Ross School District has 49 total violations: 12 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 10 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Fort Ross School District water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Fort Ross School District under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Fort Ross School District use? ▼
Fort Ross School District uses Groundwater as its primary water source. It is classified as a Non-Transient Non-Community Water System, serving the same people for at least 6 months per year.
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.