PlainWater

HOWARD, CITY OF

PWS ID: KS2004901 · HOWARD, Kansas 67349

HOWARD, CITY OF serves 583 people in HOWARD, Kansas using Surface Water water sources. It has 197 recorded EPA violations, including 131 health-based violations. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing.

Water Quality Snapshot: HOWARD, CITY OF

HOWARD, CITY OF is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 583 residents in HOWARD, Kansas (Elk County) through 454 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 197 total violations for this system , of which 131 (66%) are health-based — meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 51 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 TTHM, recorded in 45 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. HOWARD, CITY OF's 197 violations sit above the Kansas average. Statewide, 89 of 103 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (86.4%). 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
583
Total Violations
197
Health-Based Violations
131
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
454
County
Elk
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
89
Monitoring Violations
51
Treatment Tech Violations
42

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
TTHM MCL 45 2006
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL 44 2012
Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 27 2022
Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 26 1998
CARBON, TOTAL TT 16 2012
Coliform (TCR) MR 7 2001
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 6 2015
Atrazine MR 5 2017
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 3 2009
Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule MR 3 2010
TTHM MR 3 2009
Lead and Copper Rule MR 3 2022
Surface Water Treatment Rule Other 1 1994

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 HOWARD, 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 KS2004901 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 Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 27 SDWIS / KS2004901 / 0200
2022 Lead and Copper Rule MR 3 SDWIS / KS2004901 / 5000
2017 Atrazine MR 5 SDWIS / KS2004901 / 2050
2015 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 6 SDWIS / KS2004901 / 7000
2012 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL 44 SDWIS / KS2004901 / 2456
2012 CARBON, TOTAL TT 16 SDWIS / KS2004901 / 2920
2010 Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule MR 3 SDWIS / KS2004901 / 0600
2009 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 3 SDWIS / KS2004901 / 2456
2009 TTHM MR 3 SDWIS / KS2004901 / 2950
2006 TTHM MCL 45 SDWIS / KS2004901 / 2950
2001 Coliform (TCR) MR 7 SDWIS / KS2004901 / 3100
1998 Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 26 SDWIS / KS2004901 / 0200
1994 Surface Water Treatment Rule Other 1 SDWIS / KS2004901 / 0200

How HOWARD, CITY OF Compares

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

Metric HOWARD, CITY OF Kansas avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 197 88.1 SDWA compliance — any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 131 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 583 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
Nitrate (as N) 10 mg/L Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is HOWARD, CITY OF water safe to drink?
HOWARD, CITY OF (PWS ID: KS2004901) has 197 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 583 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does HOWARD, CITY OF serve?
HOWARD, CITY OF serves 583 people in HOWARD, Kansas. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 454 service connections.
What type of violations does HOWARD, CITY OF have?
HOWARD, CITY OF has 197 total violations: 131 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 51 monitoring/reporting violations, and 42 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in HOWARD, CITY OF water?
No PFAS testing data is available for HOWARD, CITY OF under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does HOWARD, CITY OF use?
HOWARD, 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.

Explore PlainWater

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 Kiznis Studio Editorial