PlainWater

Birchwood

PWS ID: MN1820003 · Birchwood, Minnesota 55110

Birchwood serves 864 people in Birchwood, Minnesota using Groundwater water sources. It has 35 recorded EPA violations, including 0 health-based violations. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing.

Water Quality Snapshot: Birchwood

Birchwood is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 864 residents in Birchwood, Minnesota (Washington County) through 354 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 35 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 27 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2010.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 15 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 Minnesota, EPA tracks 6,557 public water systems serving 5,239,398 people, with 59,895 cumulative violations and 36,496 health-based violations on record. About 52% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 9.1 violations. Birchwood's 35 violations sit above the Minnesota average. Statewide, 149 of 196 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (76%). 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
864
Total Violations
35
Health-Based Violations
0
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
354
County
Washington
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
27
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 15 2010
Chlorine MR 7 2010
Lead and Copper Rule MR 5 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 Birchwood.

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 MN1820003 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Minnesota Drinking Water Authority

Minnesota'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 MN 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
2010 Coliform (TCR) MR 15 SDWIS / MN1820003 / 3100
2010 Chlorine MR 7 SDWIS / MN1820003 / 0999
1994 Lead and Copper Rule MR 5 SDWIS / MN1820003 / 5000

How Birchwood Compares

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

Metric Birchwood Minnesota avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 35 9.1 SDWA compliance — any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 0 5.6 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 76% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 864 799 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 6,557 regulated public water systems in Minnesota.

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 Birchwood water safe to drink?
Birchwood (PWS ID: MN1820003) has 35 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 864 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Birchwood serve?
Birchwood serves 864 people in Birchwood, Minnesota. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 354 service connections.
What type of violations does Birchwood have?
Birchwood has 35 total violations: 0 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 27 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Birchwood water?
No PFAS testing data is available for Birchwood under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Birchwood use?
Birchwood 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.

Explore PlainWater

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