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Community Water System · PWS KY0480498

Black Mtn Utility/Louellen

Baxter, Kentucky 40806 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 520 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

520
People served
510
EPA violations
0
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 510 drinking-water violations at Black Mtn Utility/Louellen - above the Kentucky per-system average.

510
Total EPA violations on record
0%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
520
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Black Mtn Utility/Louellen

Black Mtn Utility/Louellen is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 520 residents in Baxter, Kentucky (Harlan County) through 199 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 510 total violations for this system , of which 0 (0%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 337 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2023.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Consumer Confidence Rule, recorded in 28 violations (Other). This system has not yet been sampled under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, so no PFAS detection data is available here.

Across Kentucky, EPA tracks 424 public water systems serving 4,570,541 people, with 80,482 cumulative violations and 12,554 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 189.8 violations. Statewide, 107 of 231 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (46.3%).

Black Mtn Utility/Louellen's 510 violations sit above the Kentucky 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
520
Total Violations
510
Health-Based Violations
0
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
199
County
Harlan
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
337
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 28 2023
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 16 2016
TTHM MR 16 2016
Lead and Copper Rule MR 14 1996
Coliform (TCR) MR 12 2015
Asbestos MR 12 2011
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 8 1995
Vinyl chloride MR 8 1995
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 8 1995
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 8 1995
Carbon tetrachloride MR 8 1995
Trichloroethylene MR 8 1995
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 8 1995
Benzene MR 8 1995
Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 7 2001
Endrin MR 4 1993
Methoxychlor MR 4 1993
Toxaphene MR 4 1993
Diquat MR 4 1993
Endothall MR 4 1993
Glyphosate MR 4 1993
Simazine MR 4 1993
Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate MR 4 1993
Picloram MR 4 1993
Dinoseb MR 4 1993
Aldicarb MR 4 1993
LASSO MR 4 1993
Heptachlor MR 4 1993
2,4,5-TP MR 4 1993
HEXACHLOROBENZENE MR 4 1993

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 Black Mtn Utility/Louellen.

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 KY0480498 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Kentucky Drinking Water Authority

Kentucky'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 KY 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
2023 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 28 SDWIS / KY0480498 / 7000
2016 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 16 SDWIS / KY0480498 / 2456
2016 TTHM MR 16 SDWIS / KY0480498 / 2950
2016 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 4 SDWIS / KY0480498 / 8000
2015 Coliform (TCR) MR 12 SDWIS / KY0480498 / 3100
2014 Public Notice Other 2 SDWIS / KY0480498 / 7500
2011 Asbestos MR 12 SDWIS / KY0480498 / 1094
2001 Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 7 SDWIS / KY0480498 / 0200
1996 Lead and Copper Rule MR 14 SDWIS / KY0480498 / 5000
1995 p-Dichlorobenzene MR 8 SDWIS / KY0480498 / 2969
1995 Vinyl chloride MR 8 SDWIS / KY0480498 / 2976
1995 1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 8 SDWIS / KY0480498 / 2977
1995 1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 8 SDWIS / KY0480498 / 2981
1995 Carbon tetrachloride MR 8 SDWIS / KY0480498 / 2982
1995 Trichloroethylene MR 8 SDWIS / KY0480498 / 2984

How Black Mtn Utility/Louellen Compares

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

Metric Black Mtn Utility/Louellen Kentucky avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 510 189.8 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 0 29.6 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 46.3% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 520 10,780 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 424 regulated public water systems in Kentucky.

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 Black Mtn Utility/Louellen water safe to drink? ▼
Black Mtn Utility/Louellen (PWS ID: KY0480498) has 510 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 520 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Black Mtn Utility/Louellen serve? ▼
Black Mtn Utility/Louellen serves 520 people in Baxter, Kentucky. It is a Private-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 199 service connections.
What type of violations does Black Mtn Utility/Louellen have? ▼
Black Mtn Utility/Louellen has 510 total violations: 0 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 337 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Black Mtn Utility/Louellen water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Black Mtn Utility/Louellen under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Black Mtn Utility/Louellen use? ▼
Black Mtn Utility/Louellen 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.