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Community Water System · PWS CO0234388

Freeman Creek

Bayfield, Colorado 81122 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 88 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

88
People served
493
EPA violations
38
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 493 drinking-water violations at Freeman Creek, 8% of them health-based - above the Colorado per-system average.

493
Total EPA violations on record
8%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
88
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Freeman Creek

Freeman Creek is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 88 residents in Bayfield, Colorado (La Plata County) through 50 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 493 total violations for this system , of which 38 (8%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 448 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 44 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%).

Freeman Creek's 493 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
88
Total Violations
493
Health-Based Violations
38
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
50
County
La Plata
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
448
Treatment Tech Violations
38

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 44 2009
Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 40 2022
Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 39 2024
Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 34 2023
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 6 2018
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 6 2018
Xylenes, Total MR 6 2018
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 6 2018
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 6 2018
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 6 2018
Carbon tetrachloride MR 6 2018
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 6 2018
Trichloroethylene MR 6 2018
Benzene MR 6 2018
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 6 2018
Vinyl chloride MR 6 2018
CHLOROBENZENE MR 6 2018
Tetrachloroethylene MR 6 2018
Styrene MR 6 2018
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 6 2018
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 6 2018
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 6 2018
Ethylbenzene MR 6 2018
Toluene MR 6 2018
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 6 2018
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 5 2018
Combined Uranium MR 5 2018
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 5 2018
Endrin MR 5 2018
Methoxychlor MR 5 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 Freeman Creek.

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 CO0234388 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 Freeman Creek 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 Revised Total Coliform Rule Other 3 SDWIS / CO0234388 / 8000
2024 Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 39 SDWIS / CO0234388 / 0200
2024 Chlorine MR 3 SDWIS / CO0234388 / 0999
2023 Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 34 SDWIS / CO0234388 / 0200
2022 Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 40 SDWIS / CO0234388 / 0300
2020 Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 4 SDWIS / CO0234388 / 0300
2018 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 6 SDWIS / CO0234388 / 2378
2018 cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 6 SDWIS / CO0234388 / 2380
2018 Xylenes, Total MR 6 SDWIS / CO0234388 / 2955
2018 DICHLOROMETHANE MR 6 SDWIS / CO0234388 / 2964
2018 1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 6 SDWIS / CO0234388 / 2977
2018 1,2-Dichloroethane MR 6 SDWIS / CO0234388 / 2980
2018 Carbon tetrachloride MR 6 SDWIS / CO0234388 / 2982
2018 1,2-Dichloropropane MR 6 SDWIS / CO0234388 / 2983
2018 Trichloroethylene MR 6 SDWIS / CO0234388 / 2984

How Freeman Creek Compares

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

Metric Freeman Creek Colorado avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 493 108.9 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 38 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 88 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 Freeman Creek water safe to drink? ▼
Freeman Creek (PWS ID: CO0234388) has 493 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 88 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Freeman Creek serve? ▼
Freeman Creek serves 88 people in Bayfield, Colorado. It is a Private-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 50 service connections.
What type of violations does Freeman Creek have? ▼
Freeman Creek has 493 total violations: 38 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 448 monitoring/reporting violations, and 38 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Freeman Creek water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Freeman Creek under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Freeman Creek use? ▼
Freeman Creek 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.