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Community Water System · PWS IL1175200

Otter Lake Water Commission

Virden, Illinois 62690 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 1,318 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

1,318
People served
71
EPA violations
55
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 71 drinking-water violations at Otter Lake Water Commission, 77% of them health-based - above the Illinois per-system average.

71
Total EPA violations on record
77%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
1,318
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Otter Lake Water Commission

Otter Lake Water Commission is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 1,318 residents in Virden, Illinois (Macoupin County) through 527 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 71 total violations for this system , of which 55 (77%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 16 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2013.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Atrazine, recorded in 26 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 Illinois, EPA tracks 5,117 public water systems serving 12,576,876 people, with 355,322 cumulative violations and 52,932 health-based violations on record. About 81% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 69.4 violations. Statewide, 199 of 487 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (40.9%).

Otter Lake Water Commission's 71 violations sit above the Illinois 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
1,318
Total Violations
71
Health-Based Violations
55
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
527
County
Macoupin
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
39
Monitoring Violations
16
Treatment Tech Violations
16

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Atrazine MCL 26 1994
TTHM MCL 13 1986
Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 8 2010
Coliform (TCR) MR 7 1994
Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 6 1994
Nitrite MR 4 2013
Nitrate MR 4 2013
Lead and Copper Rule TT 2 1995
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 1977

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 Otter Lake Water Commission.

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 IL1175200 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Illinois Drinking Water Authority

Illinois EPA, Bureau of Water is the primacy agency that licenses and inspects Otter Lake Water Commission under EPA-delegated authority.

Open IL regulator portal

Source: Illinois EPA, Bureau of Water

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
2013 Nitrite MR 4 SDWIS / IL1175200 / 1041
2013 Nitrate MR 4 SDWIS / IL1175200 / 1040
2010 Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 8 SDWIS / IL1175200 / 0300
1995 Lead and Copper Rule TT 2 SDWIS / IL1175200 / 5000
1994 Atrazine MCL 26 SDWIS / IL1175200 / 2050
1994 Coliform (TCR) MR 7 SDWIS / IL1175200 / 3100
1994 Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 6 SDWIS / IL1175200 / 0200
1986 TTHM MCL 13 SDWIS / IL1175200 / 2950
1977 Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 SDWIS / IL1175200 / 4000

How Otter Lake Water Commission Compares

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

Metric Otter Lake Water Commission Illinois avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 71 69.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 55 10.3 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 40.9% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 1,318 2,458 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 5,117 regulated public water systems in Illinois.

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 Otter Lake Water Commission water safe to drink? ▼
Otter Lake Water Commission (PWS ID: IL1175200) has 71 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 1,318 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Otter Lake Water Commission serve? ▼
Otter Lake Water Commission serves 1,318 people in Virden, Illinois. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 527 service connections.
What type of violations does Otter Lake Water Commission have? ▼
Otter Lake Water Commission has 71 total violations: 55 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 16 monitoring/reporting violations, and 16 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Otter Lake Water Commission water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Otter Lake Water Commission under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Otter Lake Water Commission use? ▼
Otter Lake Water Commission 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.