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Community Water System · PWS MI0005160

Richmond Township

Palmer, Michigan 49871 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 489 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

489
People served
108
EPA violations
21
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 108 drinking-water violations at Richmond Township, 19% of them health-based - above the Michigan per-system average.

108
Total EPA violations on record
19%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
489
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Richmond Township

Richmond Township is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 489 residents in Palmer, Michigan (Marquette County) through 200 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 108 total violations for this system , of which 21 (19%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 74 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 Coliform (TCR), recorded in 28 violations (MR). 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. Statewide, 87 of 318 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (27.4%).

Richmond Township's 108 violations sit above the Michigan 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
489
Total Violations
108
Health-Based Violations
21
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
200
County
Marquette
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
17
Monitoring Violations
74
Treatment Tech Violations
4

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 28 1999
Lead and Copper Rule MR 14 2023
Revised Total Coliform Rule MCL 10 2024
Coliform (TCR) MCL 7 2006
Revised Total Coliform Rule RPT 7 2021
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 5 2020
Revised Total Coliform Rule TT 4 2021
E. COLI MR 4 2021
Antimony, Total MR 3 2015
Mercury MR 3 2015
Chromium MR 3 2015
Cadmium MR 3 2015
Selenium MR 3 2015
Nickel MR 3 2015
Beryllium, Total MR 3 2015
Barium MR 3 2015
Thallium, Total MR 3 2015
Nitrate MR 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 Richmond 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 MI0005160 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 Richmond 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 MCL 10 SDWIS / MI0005160 / 8000
2023 Lead and Copper Rule MR 14 SDWIS / MI0005160 / 5000
2021 Revised Total Coliform Rule RPT 7 SDWIS / MI0005160 / 8000
2021 Revised Total Coliform Rule TT 4 SDWIS / MI0005160 / 8000
2021 E. COLI MR 4 SDWIS / MI0005160 / 3014
2020 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 5 SDWIS / MI0005160 / 7000
2015 Antimony, Total MR 3 SDWIS / MI0005160 / 1074
2015 Mercury MR 3 SDWIS / MI0005160 / 1035
2015 Chromium MR 3 SDWIS / MI0005160 / 1020
2015 Cadmium MR 3 SDWIS / MI0005160 / 1015
2015 Selenium MR 3 SDWIS / MI0005160 / 1045
2015 Nickel MR 3 SDWIS / MI0005160 / 1036
2015 Beryllium, Total MR 3 SDWIS / MI0005160 / 1075
2015 Barium MR 3 SDWIS / MI0005160 / 1010
2015 Thallium, Total MR 3 SDWIS / MI0005160 / 1085

How Richmond Township Compares

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

Metric Richmond Township Michigan avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 108 23.3 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 21 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 489 830 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 (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 Richmond Township water safe to drink? ▼
Richmond Township (PWS ID: MI0005160) has 108 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 489 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Richmond Township serve? ▼
Richmond Township serves 489 people in Palmer, Michigan. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 200 service connections.
What type of violations does Richmond Township have? ▼
Richmond Township has 108 total violations: 21 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 74 monitoring/reporting violations, and 4 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Richmond Township water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Richmond Township under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Richmond Township use? ▼
Richmond 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.
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.