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Community Water System · PWS KS2002110

Columbus, City Of

Columbus, Kansas 66725-0308 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 2,882 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

2,882
People served
131
EPA violations
98
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 131 drinking-water violations at Columbus, City Of, 75% of them health-based - above the Kansas per-system average.

131
Total EPA violations on record
75%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
2,882
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Columbus, City Of

Columbus, City Of is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 2,882 residents in Columbus, Kansas (Cherokee County) through 1,519 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 131 total violations for this system , of which 98 (75%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 26 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2022.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Combined Radium (-226 and -228), recorded in 95 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 Kansas, EPA tracks 957 public water systems serving 2,894,673 people, with 84,344 cumulative violations and 33,424 health-based violations on record. About 99% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 88.1 violations. Statewide, 89 of 103 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (86.4%).

Columbus, City Of's 131 violations sit above the Kansas 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
2,882
Total Violations
131
Health-Based Violations
98
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
1,519
County
Cherokee
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
98
Monitoring Violations
26
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MCL 95 2003
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 7 2019
Coliform (TCR) MR 6 2013
Lead and Copper Rule MR 4 2022
Coliform (TCR) MCL 3 1993
Carbon tetrachloride MR 2 1989
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 2 1989
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 2 1989
Vinyl chloride MR 2 1989
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 2 1989
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 2 1989
Trichloroethylene MR 2 1989
Benzene MR 2 1989

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 Columbus, City Of.

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 KS2002110 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Kansas Drinking Water Authority

Kansas'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 KS 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
2022 Lead and Copper Rule MR 4 SDWIS / KS2002110 / 5000
2019 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 7 SDWIS / KS2002110 / 7000
2013 Coliform (TCR) MR 6 SDWIS / KS2002110 / 3100
2003 Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MCL 95 SDWIS / KS2002110 / 4010
1993 Coliform (TCR) MCL 3 SDWIS / KS2002110 / 3100
1989 Carbon tetrachloride MR 2 SDWIS / KS2002110 / 2982
1989 1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 2 SDWIS / KS2002110 / 2981
1989 1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 2 SDWIS / KS2002110 / 2977
1989 Vinyl chloride MR 2 SDWIS / KS2002110 / 2976
1989 p-Dichlorobenzene MR 2 SDWIS / KS2002110 / 2969
1989 1,2-Dichloroethane MR 2 SDWIS / KS2002110 / 2980
1989 Trichloroethylene MR 2 SDWIS / KS2002110 / 2984
1989 Benzene MR 2 SDWIS / KS2002110 / 2990

How Columbus, City Of Compares

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

Metric Columbus, City Of Kansas avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 131 88.1 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 98 34.9 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 86.4% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 2,882 3,025 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 957 regulated public water systems in Kansas.

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 Columbus, City Of water safe to drink? ▼
Columbus, City Of (PWS ID: KS2002110) has 131 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 2,882 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Columbus, City Of serve? ▼
Columbus, City Of serves 2,882 people in Columbus, Kansas. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 1,519 service connections.
What type of violations does Columbus, City Of have? ▼
Columbus, City Of has 131 total violations: 98 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 26 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Columbus, City Of water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Columbus, City Of under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Columbus, City Of use? ▼
Columbus, City Of 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.