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Community Water System · PWS GA0510006

Thunderbolt

Thunderbolt, Georgia 31404 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 2,668 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

2,668
People served
78
EPA violations
4
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 78 drinking-water violations at Thunderbolt, 5% of them health-based - above the Georgia per-system average.

78
Total EPA violations on record
5%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
2,668
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Thunderbolt

Thunderbolt is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 2,668 residents in Thunderbolt, Georgia (Chatham County) through 1,200 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 78 total violations for this system , of which 4 (5%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 58 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2024.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 24 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 Georgia, EPA tracks 2,382 public water systems serving 10,694,477 people, with 108,966 cumulative violations and 12,032 health-based violations on record. About 92% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 45.7 violations. Statewide, 102 of 254 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (40.2%).

Thunderbolt's 78 violations sit above the Georgia 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
2,668
Total Violations
78
Health-Based Violations
4
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
1,200
County
Chatham
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
4
Monitoring Violations
58
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 24 2011
Nitrate MR 11 2000
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 11 2010
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 4 2024
Nitrate-Nitrite MR 4 2012
Lead and Copper Rule MR 3 1994
Coliform (TCR) MCL 3 2005
LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS RPT 3 2024
Cadmium MCL 1 1996
Arsenic MR 1 2020
Fluoride MR 1 2020
Chromium MR 1 2020
CYANIDE MR 1 2020
Nickel MR 1 2020
Antimony, Total MR 1 2020
Mercury MR 1 2020
Beryllium, Total MR 1 2020
Barium MR 1 2020
Cadmium MR 1 2020
Thallium, Total MR 1 2020
Selenium MR 1 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 Thunderbolt.

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 GA0510006 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Georgia Drinking Water Authority

Georgia EPD, Drinking Water Program is the primacy agency that licenses and inspects Thunderbolt under EPA-delegated authority.

Open GA regulator portal

Source: Georgia EPD, Drinking Water Program

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
2024 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 4 SDWIS / GA0510006 / 8000
2024 LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS RPT 3 SDWIS / GA0510006 / 5200
2020 Arsenic MR 1 SDWIS / GA0510006 / 1005
2020 Fluoride MR 1 SDWIS / GA0510006 / 1025
2020 Chromium MR 1 SDWIS / GA0510006 / 1020
2020 CYANIDE MR 1 SDWIS / GA0510006 / 1024
2020 Nickel MR 1 SDWIS / GA0510006 / 1036
2020 Antimony, Total MR 1 SDWIS / GA0510006 / 1074
2020 Mercury MR 1 SDWIS / GA0510006 / 1035
2020 Beryllium, Total MR 1 SDWIS / GA0510006 / 1075
2020 Barium MR 1 SDWIS / GA0510006 / 1010
2020 Cadmium MR 1 SDWIS / GA0510006 / 1015
2020 Thallium, Total MR 1 SDWIS / GA0510006 / 1085
2020 Selenium MR 1 SDWIS / GA0510006 / 1045
2012 Nitrate-Nitrite MR 4 SDWIS / GA0510006 / 1038

How Thunderbolt Compares

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

Metric Thunderbolt Georgia avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 78 45.7 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 4 5.1 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 40.2% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 2,668 4,490 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 2,382 regulated public water systems in Georgia.

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 Thunderbolt water safe to drink? ▼
Thunderbolt (PWS ID: GA0510006) has 78 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 2,668 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Thunderbolt serve? ▼
Thunderbolt serves 2,668 people in Thunderbolt, Georgia. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 1,200 service connections.
What type of violations does Thunderbolt have? ▼
Thunderbolt has 78 total violations: 4 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 58 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Thunderbolt water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Thunderbolt under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Thunderbolt use? ▼
Thunderbolt 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.