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Community Water System · PWS CO0214142

Bear Creek Loa

Antonito, Colorado 81120 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 190 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

190
People served
547
EPA violations
16
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 547 drinking-water violations at Bear Creek Loa, 3% of them health-based - above the Colorado per-system average.

547
Total EPA violations on record
3%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
190
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Bear Creek Loa

Bear Creek Loa is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 190 residents in Antonito, Colorado (Conejos County) through 94 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 547 total violations for this system , of which 16 (3%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 531 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 Fluoride, recorded in 14 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, 37 of 163 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (22.7%).

Bear Creek Loa's 547 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
190
Total Violations
547
Health-Based Violations
16
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
94
County
Conejos
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
531
Treatment Tech Violations
16

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Fluoride MR 14 2007
Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 13 2015
Nitrate MR 13 2007
Beryllium, Total MR 12 2006
Thallium, Total MR 12 2006
Selenium MR 12 2006
Arsenic MR 12 2006
Barium MR 12 2006
Cadmium MR 12 2006
Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 12 2014
Mercury MR 12 2006
Nickel MR 12 2006
Antimony, Total MR 12 2006
Chromium MR 12 2006
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 9 2018
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 9 2018
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 9 2018
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 9 2018
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 9 2018
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 9 2018
Carbon tetrachloride MR 9 2018
Trichloroethylene MR 9 2018
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 9 2018
Tetrachloroethylene MR 9 2018
CHLOROBENZENE MR 9 2018
Benzene MR 9 2018
Toluene MR 9 2018
Ethylbenzene MR 9 2018
Xylenes, Total MR 9 2018
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 9 2018

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 Bear Creek Loa.

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 CO0214142 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 Bear Creek Loa 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
2023 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 7 SDWIS / CO0214142 / 2456
2018 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 9 SDWIS / CO0214142 / 2378
2018 cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 9 SDWIS / CO0214142 / 2380
2018 o-Dichlorobenzene MR 9 SDWIS / CO0214142 / 2968
2018 p-Dichlorobenzene MR 9 SDWIS / CO0214142 / 2969
2018 1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 9 SDWIS / CO0214142 / 2977
2018 1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 9 SDWIS / CO0214142 / 2981
2018 Carbon tetrachloride MR 9 SDWIS / CO0214142 / 2982
2018 Trichloroethylene MR 9 SDWIS / CO0214142 / 2984
2018 1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 9 SDWIS / CO0214142 / 2985
2018 Tetrachloroethylene MR 9 SDWIS / CO0214142 / 2987
2018 CHLOROBENZENE MR 9 SDWIS / CO0214142 / 2989
2018 Benzene MR 9 SDWIS / CO0214142 / 2990
2018 Toluene MR 9 SDWIS / CO0214142 / 2991
2018 Ethylbenzene MR 9 SDWIS / CO0214142 / 2992

How Bear Creek Loa Compares

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

Metric Bear Creek Loa Colorado avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 547 108.9 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 16 13.9 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 22.7% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 190 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 Bear Creek Loa water safe to drink? ▼
Bear Creek Loa (PWS ID: CO0214142) has 547 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 190 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Bear Creek Loa serve? ▼
Bear Creek Loa serves 190 people in Antonito, Colorado. It is a Private-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 94 service connections.
What type of violations does Bear Creek Loa have? ▼
Bear Creek Loa has 547 total violations: 16 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 531 monitoring/reporting violations, and 16 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Bear Creek Loa water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Bear Creek Loa under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Bear Creek Loa use? ▼
Bear Creek Loa 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.