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ST. JOE WATER DEPARTMENT

PWS ID: IN5217006 · WATERLOO, Indiana 46793

ST. JOE WATER DEPARTMENT serves 460 people in WATERLOO, Indiana using Groundwater water sources. It has 93 recorded EPA violations, including 13 health-based violations. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing.

Water Quality Snapshot: ST. JOE WATER DEPARTMENT

ST. JOE WATER DEPARTMENT is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 460 residents in WATERLOO, Indiana (DeKalb County) through 175 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 93 total violations for this system , of which 13 (14%) are health-based — meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 44 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2025.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 29 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 Indiana, EPA tracks 3,967 public water systems serving 5,774,616 people, with 352,710 cumulative violations and 35,932 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 88.9 violations. ST. JOE WATER DEPARTMENT's 93 violations sit above the Indiana average. Statewide, 93 of 229 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (40.6%). 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
460
Total Violations
93
Health-Based Violations
13
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
175
County
DeKalb
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
2
Monitoring Violations
44
Treatment Tech Violations
11

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 29 2004
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 16 2024
Nitrate MR 9 2010
Groundwater Rule TT 7 2025
LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS TT 4 2024
LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS RPT 4 2024
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 3 2018
Coliform (TCR) MCL 2 1993
Lead and Copper Rule MR 2 2024
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 1980

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 ST. JOE WATER DEPARTMENT.

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 IN5217006 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Indiana Drinking Water Authority

Indiana Department of Environmental Management — Drinking Water Branch is the primacy agency that licenses and inspects ST. JOE WATER DEPARTMENT under EPA-delegated authority.

Open IN regulator portal

Source: Indiana Department of Environmental Management — Drinking Water Branch

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
2025 Groundwater Rule TT 7 SDWIS / IN5217006 / 0700
2024 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 16 SDWIS / IN5217006 / 7000
2024 LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS TT 4 SDWIS / IN5217006 / 5200
2024 LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS RPT 4 SDWIS / IN5217006 / 5200
2024 Lead and Copper Rule MR 2 SDWIS / IN5217006 / 5000
2018 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 3 SDWIS / IN5217006 / 8000
2010 Nitrate MR 9 SDWIS / IN5217006 / 1040
2004 Coliform (TCR) MR 29 SDWIS / IN5217006 / 3100
1993 Coliform (TCR) MCL 2 SDWIS / IN5217006 / 3100
1980 Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 SDWIS / IN5217006 / 4000

How ST. JOE WATER DEPARTMENT Compares

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

Metric ST. JOE WATER DEPARTMENT Indiana avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 93 88.9 SDWA compliance — any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 13 9.1 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 40.6% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 460 1,456 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 3,967 regulated public water systems in Indiana.

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
Nitrate (as N) 10 mg/L Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ST. JOE WATER DEPARTMENT water safe to drink?
ST. JOE WATER DEPARTMENT (PWS ID: IN5217006) has 93 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 460 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does ST. JOE WATER DEPARTMENT serve?
ST. JOE WATER DEPARTMENT serves 460 people in WATERLOO, Indiana. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 175 service connections.
What type of violations does ST. JOE WATER DEPARTMENT have?
ST. JOE WATER DEPARTMENT has 93 total violations: 13 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 44 monitoring/reporting violations, and 11 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in ST. JOE WATER DEPARTMENT water?
No PFAS testing data is available for ST. JOE WATER DEPARTMENT under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does ST. JOE WATER DEPARTMENT use?
ST. JOE WATER DEPARTMENT 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.

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Data Sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), Q4 2025. This data is provided for informational purposes only.

Related

Data sourced from $official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainWater Editorial