Is Guthrie Water Works water safe to drink?

Guthrie Water Works (PWS ID: KY1100171) has 128 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. EPA SDWIS lists this system's service population as 2,421 people using Surface Water sources.

How many people does Guthrie Water Works serve?

EPA SDWIS reports that Guthrie Water Works serves 2,421 people (this public water system's service population, not the municipal population of Guthrie or any other city). It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 772 service connections. The operator address is listed in Guthrie, Kentucky.

What type of violations does Guthrie Water Works have?

Guthrie Water Works has 128 total violations: 9 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 99 monitoring/reporting violations, and 4 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.

Has PFAS been detected in Guthrie Water Works water?

No PFAS testing data is available for Guthrie Water Works under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.

What water source does Guthrie Water Works use?

Guthrie Water Works 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.

Where does Guthrie Water Works sit among U.S. public water systems?

According to EPA SDWIS population_served among sitemap-advertised systems (serving 500+), Guthrie Water Works ranks #12,176 of 29,740 by people served, and #254 of 352 in Kentucky. Ordinals use population_served DESC among systems serving 500+ (the sitemap cohort). See /methodology#corpus-placement.

How does Guthrie Water Works's violation count compare nationally?

Guthrie Water Works has 128 recorded EPA SDWIS violations, fewer than 22% of the 29,740 public water systems serving 500 or more people nationwide (the same sitemap cohort used for the corpus-placement ranking above). 78% of that cohort has fewer violations than Guthrie Water Works. A system can have zero recorded violations and still be actively monitored, and a high violation count often reflects a system that reports thoroughly, not necessarily one with worse water.

States → Kentucky

Community Water System · PWS KY1100171

Guthrie Water Works

Operator location Guthrie, Kentucky - upper-third violation load (> 74 violations) with 128 EPA violations; surface water source; 2,421 served (PWS-level, not municipal population).

Compiled by PlainWater · May 15, 2026

2,421
People served (this PWS) Middle third of systems: 128
EPA violations (this PWS) Upper third of systems: 9
Health-based (this PWS) Middle third by health-based share: Untested
UCMR5 (this PWS) No UCMR5 result

Follow published updates (RSS)

Guthrie Water Works standing, high SDWIS violation third

128 EPA SDWIS violations on record - upper-third violation load (> 74 violations). Corpus terciles use 29,740 systems serving 500+ (the sitemap cohort). Health-based share 7% is middle-third health share (≤ 23%). Population rank #12,176 of 29,740 among systems serving 500+.

The verdict

Guthrie Water Works sits in the upper third of the sitemap cohort by violation count (128), so the tables below sample a dense compliance trail rather than a near-clean ledger. Population served is mid-pack at 2,421 (mid served population (≤ 3,309)). Health-based share is 7% (middle-third health share (≤ 23%)). No UCMR5 PFAS test appears for this system in this extract.

#12,176 of 29,740
Population · /systems: #254 of 352
Population · KY: 128
Total EPA violations on record: 7%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)

Population ordinals match the sitemap cohort (systems serving 500+, population_served DESC). See methodology · corpus placement.

Water Safety Score

21/100

Guthrie Water Works

Based on EPA SDWIS violation history and UCMR5 PFAS testing only, not water taste, odor, infrastructure age, or contaminants outside the federally tracked set.

Health-based violations F

EPA SDWIS health-based violations on record (MCL, MRDL, treatment technique)

Monitoring & reporting violations F

119

Non-health SDWIS violations (monitoring, reporting, and other compliance)

PFAS contamination N/A

Not UCMR5-tested

Highest PFAS compound level detected in UCMR5 testing

System Details

System Type: Community
Owner Type: Local
Connections: 772
County: Todd
School/Daycare: No
MCL Violations: 5
Monitoring Violations: 99
Treatment Tech Violations: 4

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant	Category	Count	Latest
Surface Water Treatment Rule	MR	24	2016
Consumer Confidence Rule	Other	16	2014
Lead and Copper Rule	MR	9	2003
Nitrate	MR	8	1995
Coliform (TCR)	MR	7	1995
Coliform (TCR)	MCL	5	1993
Barium	MR	4	1998
Cadmium	MR	4	1998
Chromium	MR	4	1998
CYANIDE	MR	4	1998
Mercury	MR	4	1998
Selenium	MR	4	1998
Antimony, Total	MR	4	1998
Asbestos	MR	4	2002
LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS	TT	4	2024
Nickel	MR	4	1998
Thallium, Total	MR	4	1998
Beryllium, Total	MR	4	1998
Arsenic	MR	4	1998
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U	MR	3	1995
Public Notice	Other	2	2007

Violation Count vs. the National Corpus

Guthrie Water Works has 128 recorded EPA violations, 78% of the 29,740 public water systems serving 500+ people nationwide carry fewer, and 22% carry more. 7% of this system's own violations are health-based (9 of 128), and it ranks #12,176 of 29,740 by population served among that same cohort.

EPA violations vs. the national water-system corpus

Public water systems serving 500+ people (EPA SDWIS)

128 Higher than most more violations than 78% of 29,740 water systems

the national water-system corpus, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more water systems. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source EPA SDWIS · 2026-05-15

How many violations vs. how serious, among peer systems

Guthrie Water Works plotted against 29 peer public water systems (500+ people served), by total violation count (x) and the share of those violations that are health-based (y). The crosshair sits at this sample's own median on each axis. A high violation count does not automatically mean a serious record: most monitoring and reporting violations are minor, not health-based.

30 public water systems (500+ people served), EPA SDWIS current release.

How to read this

Each dot is one public water system; the highlighted dot is Guthrie Water Works. A system to the right has more recorded violations; a system higher up has a larger share of those violations classified health-based rather than monitoring or reporting.

Rare but serious: few violations, but most of them are health-based.
Frequent, mostly paperwork: many violations, but mostly monitoring or reporting, not health-based.
Clean record: below-median on both counts, the tinted corner.

View all 30 systems as a list

City of Ballinger: 372 violations, 85% health-based
Nooksack Valley Water Association: 16 violations, 31% health-based
Montgomery Co RWD 12: 7 violations, 29% health-based
Irvin Water District #6: 11 violations, 27% health-based
Ticonderoga WD: 47 violations, 26% health-based
Pine Valley Plantation: 37 violations, 24% health-based
McLouth, City Of: 29 violations, 17% health-based
Kipling Oaks 1: 25 violations, 16% health-based
South Deerfield Water Supply District: 96 violations, 16% health-based
Sunset Ridge Water District: 82 violations, 15% health-based
Orange Water Dept: 136 violations, 14% health-based
Mount Pleasant Water Sys #1: 167 violations, 11% health-based
Guthrie Water Works: 128 violations, 7% health-based (this system)
Lake Gibson Estates: 42 violations, 2% health-based
Benson Culinary Improvement District: 212 violations, 1% health-based
Conemaugh Twp Muni Auth: 567 violations, 1% health-based
Miccosukee Service Plaza: 0 violations, 0% health-based
Brazoria - Fort Bend Counties MUD 3: 0 violations, 0% health-based
Tanglewilde Thompson Place 600: 2 violations, 0% health-based
Center Water Co: 5 violations, 0% health-based
Spring Mills Elem School/Hvs: 9 violations, 0% health-based
Great Bend Industrial Park: 14 violations, 0% health-based
Glen Park Village: 19 violations, 0% health-based
Camp Is-Sho-Da: 22 violations, 0% health-based
Hamilton: 33 violations, 0% health-based
Town of Welaka: 54 violations, 0% health-based
Township of Blairstown Dpw: 61 violations, 0% health-based
McIntosh Water & Fire Pro Authority: 71 violations, 0% health-based
Clarkdale Municipal Water System: 114 violations, 0% health-based
Eureka Water Association: 273 violations, 0% health-based

SDWIS compliance record for Guthrie Water Works

128 violations on record for KY1100171; use EPA SDWIS to confirm return-to-compliance dates and monitoring categories.

EPA SDWIS · PWS KY1100171

Sources: EPA SDWIS

Nationwide peers

128 violations · 2,421 served: nearest cross-state SDWIS matches.

Cross-state systems with comparable violation load

Nearest cross-state community systems (500+ served) by total SDWIS violations on record.

4 peers

Cross-state systems near this population served

Nearest cross-state systems by EPA SDWIS population_served (same 500+ sitemap gate).

4 peers

What to do with Guthrie Water Works

Use this system's EPA-reported record as a starting filter, not a final verdict.

See how every tracked system in Kentucky compares on the same EPA violation measures. Kentucky systems
Check whether PFAS was detected at this system under UCMR5 testing. PFAS guide
Find and compare another public water system by name or PWSID. Search systems

EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 figures are informational only, not a substitute for a certified lab test of your own tap water.

Data sourced from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 PFAS monitoring data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainWater

Compiled by PlainWater, Drinking Water Quality Editorial Process · May 15, 2026

Every figure on PlainWater is rendered directly from EPA SDWIS drinking-water data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.