PlainWater

Community Water System · PWS ID1280048

Chilco Service Area

Rathdrum, Idaho 83858 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 563 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

563
People served
12
EPA violations
1
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 12 drinking-water violations at Chilco Service Area, 8% of them health-based - below the Idaho per-system average.

12
Total EPA violations on record
8%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
563
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Chilco Service Area

Chilco Service Area is a public/private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 563 residents in Rathdrum, Idaho (Kootenai County) through 225 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 12 total violations for this system , of which 1 (8%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 11 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 1999.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 2 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 Idaho, EPA tracks 2,005 public water systems serving 1,743,912 people, with 104,850 cumulative violations and 19,965 health-based violations on record. About 96% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 52.3 violations. Statewide, 40 of 60 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (66.7%).

Chilco Service Area's 12 violations sit below the Idaho 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
563
Total Violations
12
Health-Based Violations
1
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Public/Private
Connections
225
County
Kootenai
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
1
Monitoring Violations
11
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 2 1999
Coliform (TCR) MCL 1 1996
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 1979
Mercury MR 1 1979
Barium MR 1 1979
Nitrate MR 1 1979
Selenium MR 1 1979
Arsenic MR 1 1979
Chromium MR 1 1979
Fluoride MR 1 1979
Cadmium MR 1 1979

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 Chilco Service Area.

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 ID1280048 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Idaho Drinking Water Authority

Idaho's primacy agency administers the Safe Drinking Water Act locally. Search EPA SDWIS for the current state contact, or use the state's public health or environment department portal.

Find ID regulator via EPA SDWIS

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
1999 Coliform (TCR) MR 2 SDWIS / ID1280048 / 3100
1996 Coliform (TCR) MCL 1 SDWIS / ID1280048 / 3100
1979 Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 SDWIS / ID1280048 / 4000
1979 Mercury MR 1 SDWIS / ID1280048 / 1035
1979 Barium MR 1 SDWIS / ID1280048 / 1010
1979 Nitrate MR 1 SDWIS / ID1280048 / 1040
1979 Selenium MR 1 SDWIS / ID1280048 / 1045
1979 Arsenic MR 1 SDWIS / ID1280048 / 1005
1979 Chromium MR 1 SDWIS / ID1280048 / 1020
1979 Fluoride MR 1 SDWIS / ID1280048 / 1025
1979 Cadmium MR 1 SDWIS / ID1280048 / 1015

How Chilco Service Area Compares

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

Metric Chilco Service Area Idaho avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 12 52.3 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 1 10 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 66.7% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 563 870 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 2,005 regulated public water systems in Idaho.

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 Chilco Service Area water safe to drink?
Chilco Service Area (PWS ID: ID1280048) has 12 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 563 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Chilco Service Area serve?
Chilco Service Area serves 563 people in Rathdrum, Idaho. It is a Public/Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 225 service connections.
What type of violations does Chilco Service Area have?
Chilco Service Area has 12 total violations: 1 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 11 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Chilco Service Area water?
No PFAS testing data is available for Chilco Service Area under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Chilco Service Area use?
Chilco Service Area 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.
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.