PlainWater

Community Water System · PWS ID7260002

Bear Island Water Assn

Idaho Falls, Idaho 83402 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 100 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

100
People served
62
EPA violations
25
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 62 drinking-water violations at Bear Island Water Assn, 40% of them health-based - above the Idaho per-system average.

62
Total EPA violations on record
40%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
100
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Bear Island Water Assn

Bear Island Water Assn is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 100 residents in Idaho Falls, Idaho (Jefferson County) through 28 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 62 total violations for this system , of which 25 (40%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 35 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 25 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%).

Bear Island Water Assn's 62 violations sit above 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
100
Total Violations
62
Health-Based Violations
25
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
28
County
Jefferson
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
25
Monitoring Violations
35
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MCL 25 2014
Coliform (TCR) MR 24 1999
Lead and Copper Rule MR 8 2024
Nitrate MR 3 1998

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 Island Water Assn.

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 ID7260002 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 Lead and Copper Rule MR 8 SDWIS / ID7260002 / 5000
2014 Coliform (TCR) MCL 25 SDWIS / ID7260002 / 3100
1999 Coliform (TCR) MR 24 SDWIS / ID7260002 / 3100
1998 Nitrate MR 3 SDWIS / ID7260002 / 1040

How Bear Island Water Assn Compares

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

Metric Bear Island Water Assn Idaho avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 62 52.3 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 25 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 100 870 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 Bear Island Water Assn water safe to drink?
Bear Island Water Assn (PWS ID: ID7260002) has 62 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 100 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Bear Island Water Assn serve?
Bear Island Water Assn serves 100 people in Idaho Falls, Idaho. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 28 service connections.
What type of violations does Bear Island Water Assn have?
Bear Island Water Assn has 62 total violations: 25 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 35 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Bear Island Water Assn water?
No PFAS testing data is available for Bear Island Water Assn under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Bear Island Water Assn use?
Bear Island Water Assn 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.