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Community Water System · PWS KY0980120

Elkhorn City Water Dept

Elkhorn City, Kentucky 41522 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 1,723 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

1,723
People served
92
EPA violations
36
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 92 drinking-water violations at Elkhorn City Water Dept, 39% of them health-based - below the Kentucky per-system average.

92
Total EPA violations on record
39%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
1,723
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Elkhorn City Water Dept

Elkhorn City Water Dept is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 1,723 residents in Elkhorn City, Kentucky (Pike County) through 580 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 92 total violations for this system , of which 36 (39%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 30 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2018.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Surface Water Treatment Rule, recorded in 24 violations (TT, 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 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%).

Elkhorn City Water Dept's 92 violations sit below 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
1,723
Total Violations
92
Health-Based Violations
36
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
580
County
Pike
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
30
Treatment Tech Violations
36

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 24 2003
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 16 2015
CARBON, TOTAL TT 12 2005
Coliform (TCR) MR 7 2005
Nitrate MR 5 1994
Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 5 1999
Lead and Copper Rule MR 5 1993
CARBON, TOTAL MR 4 2005
TTHM MR 4 2018

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 Elkhorn City Water Dept.

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 KY0980120 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
2018 TTHM MR 4 SDWIS / KY0980120 / 2950
2015 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 16 SDWIS / KY0980120 / 7000
2005 CARBON, TOTAL TT 12 SDWIS / KY0980120 / 2920
2005 Coliform (TCR) MR 7 SDWIS / KY0980120 / 3100
2005 CARBON, TOTAL MR 4 SDWIS / KY0980120 / 2920
2003 Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 24 SDWIS / KY0980120 / 0200
1999 Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 5 SDWIS / KY0980120 / 0200
1994 Nitrate MR 5 SDWIS / KY0980120 / 1040
1993 Lead and Copper Rule MR 5 SDWIS / KY0980120 / 5000

How Elkhorn City Water Dept Compares

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

Metric Elkhorn City Water Dept Kentucky avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 92 189.8 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 36 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 1,723 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 Elkhorn City Water Dept water safe to drink? ▼
Elkhorn City Water Dept (PWS ID: KY0980120) has 92 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 1,723 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Elkhorn City Water Dept serve? ▼
Elkhorn City Water Dept serves 1,723 people in Elkhorn City, Kentucky. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 580 service connections.
What type of violations does Elkhorn City Water Dept have? ▼
Elkhorn City Water Dept has 92 total violations: 36 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 30 monitoring/reporting violations, and 36 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Elkhorn City Water Dept water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Elkhorn City Water Dept under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Elkhorn City Water Dept use? ▼
Elkhorn City Water Dept 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.