PlainWater

POWELL TOWNSHIP

PWS ID: MI0000700 · BIG BAY, Michigan 49808

POWELL TOWNSHIP serves 300 people in BIG BAY, Michigan using Groundwater water sources. It has 42 recorded EPA violations, including 0 health-based violations. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing.

Water Quality Snapshot: POWELL TOWNSHIP

POWELL TOWNSHIP is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 300 residents in BIG BAY, Michigan (Marquette County) through 94 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 42 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 31 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2024.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Revised Total Coliform Rule, recorded in 23 violations (MON). This system has not yet been sampled under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, so no PFAS detection data is available here.

Across Michigan, EPA tracks 10,959 public water systems serving 9,098,093 people, with 255,201 cumulative violations and 31,467 health-based violations on record. About 86% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 23.3 violations. POWELL TOWNSHIP's 42 violations sit above the Michigan average. Statewide, 87 of 318 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (27.4%). 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
300
Total Violations
42
Health-Based Violations
0
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
94
County
Marquette
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
31
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 23 2024
Coliform (TCR) MR 6 1995
Revised Total Coliform Rule RPT 4 2024
Lead and Copper Rule MR 2 2019
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 2022

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 POWELL TOWNSHIP.

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 MI0000700 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Michigan Drinking Water Authority

Michigan EGLE — Drinking Water and Environmental Health Division is the primacy agency that licenses and inspects POWELL TOWNSHIP under EPA-delegated authority.

Open MI regulator portal

Source: Michigan EGLE — Drinking Water and Environmental Health Division

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
2024 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 23 SDWIS / MI0000700 / 8000
2024 Revised Total Coliform Rule RPT 4 SDWIS / MI0000700 / 8000
2022 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 SDWIS / MI0000700 / 7000
2019 Lead and Copper Rule MR 2 SDWIS / MI0000700 / 5000
1995 Coliform (TCR) MR 6 SDWIS / MI0000700 / 3100

How POWELL TOWNSHIP Compares

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

Metric POWELL TOWNSHIP Michigan avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 42 23.3 SDWA compliance — any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 0 2.9 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 27.4% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 300 830 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 10,959 regulated public water systems in Michigan.

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 POWELL TOWNSHIP water safe to drink?
POWELL TOWNSHIP (PWS ID: MI0000700) has 42 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 300 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does POWELL TOWNSHIP serve?
POWELL TOWNSHIP serves 300 people in BIG BAY, Michigan. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 94 service connections.
What type of violations does POWELL TOWNSHIP have?
POWELL TOWNSHIP has 42 total violations: 0 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 31 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in POWELL TOWNSHIP water?
No PFAS testing data is available for POWELL TOWNSHIP under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does POWELL TOWNSHIP use?
POWELL TOWNSHIP uses Groundwater 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.

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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 PlainWater Editorial