PlainWater
States → Colorado

Community Water System · PWS CO0108350

Buena Vista Correctional Facility

Buena Vista, Colorado 81211 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 1,700 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

1,700
People served
364
EPA violations
5
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 364 drinking-water violations at Buena Vista Correctional Facility, 1% of them health-based - above the Colorado per-system average.

364
Total EPA violations on record
1%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
1,700
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Buena Vista Correctional Facility

Buena Vista Correctional Facility is a state-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 1,700 residents in Buena Vista, Colorado (Chaffee County) through 18 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 364 total violations for this system , of which 5 (1%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 347 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 Coliform (TCR), recorded in 19 violations (MR). This system has not yet been sampled under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, so no PFAS detection data is available here.

Across Colorado, EPA tracks 2,193 public water systems serving 7,473,456 people, with 238,796 cumulative violations and 30,589 health-based violations on record. About 93% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 108.9 violations. Statewide, 98 of 163 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (60.1%).

Buena Vista Correctional Facility's 364 violations sit above the Colorado 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
1,700
Total Violations
364
Health-Based Violations
5
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
State
Connections
18
County
Chaffee
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
5
Monitoring Violations
347
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 19 2015
Chlorine MR 16 2025
Lead and Copper Rule MR 13 2021
Nitrate MR 7 2020
Endrin MR 6 2020
BHC-GAMMA MR 6 2020
Endothall MR 6 2020
Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 6 2020
Simazine MR 6 2020
Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate MR 6 2020
Picloram MR 6 2020
Dinoseb MR 6 2020
Carbofuran MR 6 2020
LASSO MR 6 2020
Heptachlor MR 6 2020
2,4-D MR 6 2020
Benzo(a)pyrene MR 6 2020
Pentachlorophenol MR 6 2020
Total Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) MR 6 2020
1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE MR 6 2020
Methoxychlor MR 6 2020
Toxaphene MR 6 2020
Diquat MR 6 2020
OXAMYL MR 6 2020
Heptachlor epoxide MR 6 2020
2,4,5-TP MR 6 2020
HEXACHLOROBENZENE MR 6 2020
ETHYLENE DIBROMIDE MR 6 2020
Chlordane MR 6 2020
Atrazine MR 6 2020

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 Buena Vista Correctional Facility.

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 CO0108350 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Colorado Drinking Water Authority

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Water Quality Control is the primacy agency that licenses and inspects Buena Vista Correctional Facility under EPA-delegated authority.

Open CO regulator portal

Source: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Water Quality Control

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 16 SDWIS / CO0108350 / 0999
2025 Revised Total Coliform Rule RPT 3 SDWIS / CO0108350 / 8000
2021 Lead and Copper Rule MR 13 SDWIS / CO0108350 / 5000
2020 Nitrate MR 7 SDWIS / CO0108350 / 1040
2020 Endrin MR 6 SDWIS / CO0108350 / 2005
2020 BHC-GAMMA MR 6 SDWIS / CO0108350 / 2010
2020 Endothall MR 6 SDWIS / CO0108350 / 2033
2020 Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 6 SDWIS / CO0108350 / 2035
2020 Simazine MR 6 SDWIS / CO0108350 / 2037
2020 Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate MR 6 SDWIS / CO0108350 / 2039
2020 Picloram MR 6 SDWIS / CO0108350 / 2040
2020 Dinoseb MR 6 SDWIS / CO0108350 / 2041
2020 Carbofuran MR 6 SDWIS / CO0108350 / 2046
2020 LASSO MR 6 SDWIS / CO0108350 / 2051
2020 Heptachlor MR 6 SDWIS / CO0108350 / 2065

How Buena Vista Correctional Facility Compares

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

Metric Buena Vista Correctional Facility Colorado avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 364 108.9 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 5 13.9 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 60.1% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 1,700 3,408 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 2,193 regulated public water systems in Colorado.

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 Buena Vista Correctional Facility water safe to drink? ▼
Buena Vista Correctional Facility (PWS ID: CO0108350) has 364 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 1,700 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Buena Vista Correctional Facility serve? ▼
Buena Vista Correctional Facility serves 1,700 people in Buena Vista, Colorado. It is a State-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 18 service connections.
What type of violations does Buena Vista Correctional Facility have? ▼
Buena Vista Correctional Facility has 364 total violations: 5 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 347 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Buena Vista Correctional Facility water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Buena Vista Correctional Facility under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Buena Vista Correctional Facility use? ▼
Buena Vista Correctional Facility 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.