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Community Water System · PWS ID2250041

North Idaho Correctional Institute

Cottonwood, Idaho 83522 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 425 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

425
People served
39
EPA violations
10
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 39 drinking-water violations at North Idaho Correctional Institute, 26% of them health-based - below the Idaho per-system average.

39
Total EPA violations on record
26%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
425
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: North Idaho Correctional Institute

North Idaho Correctional Institute is a state-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 425 residents in Cottonwood, Idaho (Idaho County) through 13 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 39 total violations for this system , of which 10 (26%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 29 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 10 violations (MCL, health-based). 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%).

North Idaho Correctional Institute's 39 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
425
Total Violations
39
Health-Based Violations
10
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
State
Connections
13
County
Idaho
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
10
Monitoring Violations
29
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MCL 10 2005
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 9 2024
Coliform (TCR) MR 5 2001
E. COLI MR 3 2022
Nitrate MR 1 1996
Arsenic MR 1 2008
Barium MR 1 2002
Mercury MR 1 2002
Thallium, Total MR 1 2002
Nickel MR 1 2002
Antimony, Total MR 1 2002
Beryllium, Total MR 1 2002
Selenium MR 1 2002
Chromium MR 1 2002
Cadmium MR 1 2002
Fluoride MR 1 2002

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 North Idaho Correctional Institute.

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 ID2250041 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
2024 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 9 SDWIS / ID2250041 / 8000
2022 E. COLI MR 3 SDWIS / ID2250041 / 3014
2008 Arsenic MR 1 SDWIS / ID2250041 / 1005
2005 Coliform (TCR) MCL 10 SDWIS / ID2250041 / 3100
2002 Barium MR 1 SDWIS / ID2250041 / 1010
2002 Mercury MR 1 SDWIS / ID2250041 / 1035
2002 Thallium, Total MR 1 SDWIS / ID2250041 / 1085
2002 Nickel MR 1 SDWIS / ID2250041 / 1036
2002 Antimony, Total MR 1 SDWIS / ID2250041 / 1074
2002 Beryllium, Total MR 1 SDWIS / ID2250041 / 1075
2002 Selenium MR 1 SDWIS / ID2250041 / 1045
2002 Chromium MR 1 SDWIS / ID2250041 / 1020
2002 Cadmium MR 1 SDWIS / ID2250041 / 1015
2002 Fluoride MR 1 SDWIS / ID2250041 / 1025
2001 Coliform (TCR) MR 5 SDWIS / ID2250041 / 3100

How North Idaho Correctional Institute Compares

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

Metric North Idaho Correctional Institute Idaho avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 39 52.3 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 10 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 425 870 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 North Idaho Correctional Institute water safe to drink? ▼
North Idaho Correctional Institute (PWS ID: ID2250041) has 39 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 425 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does North Idaho Correctional Institute serve? ▼
North Idaho Correctional Institute serves 425 people in Cottonwood, Idaho. It is a State-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 13 service connections.
What type of violations does North Idaho Correctional Institute have? ▼
North Idaho Correctional Institute has 39 total violations: 10 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 29 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in North Idaho Correctional Institute water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for North Idaho Correctional Institute under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does North Idaho Correctional Institute use? ▼
North Idaho Correctional Institute 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.