PlainWater
States → Mississippi

Community Water System · PWS MS0420003

MS Valley State University

Itta Bena, Mississippi 38941 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 2,250 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

2,250
People served
317
EPA violations
2
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 317 drinking-water violations at MS Valley State University, 1% of them health-based - below the Mississippi per-system average.

317
Total EPA violations on record
1%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
2,250
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: MS Valley State University

MS Valley State University is a state-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 2,250 residents in Itta Bena, Mississippi (Leflore County) through 121 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 317 total violations for this system , of which 2 (1%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 294 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 Combined Uranium, recorded in 80 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 Mississippi, EPA tracks 1,185 public water systems serving 3,286,781 people, with 499,292 cumulative violations and 10,292 health-based violations on record. About 96% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 421.3 violations. Statewide, 160 of 238 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (67.2%).

MS Valley State University's 317 violations sit below the Mississippi 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
2,250
Total Violations
317
Health-Based Violations
2
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
State
Connections
121
County
Leflore
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
2
Monitoring Violations
294
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Combined Uranium MR 80 2011
Radium-226 MR 58 2012
Radium-228 MR 58 2012
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 28 2008
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 28 2008
Chlorine MR 16 2024
Coliform (TCR) MR 14 2011
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 8 2009
E. COLI MR 4 2011
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 4 2022
Public Notice Other 3 2024
Coliform (TCR) MCL 2 1999
TTHM MR 2 2024
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 2 2024

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 MS Valley State University.

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 MS0420003 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Mississippi Drinking Water Authority

Mississippi'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 MS 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
2024 Chlorine MR 16 SDWIS / MS0420003 / 0999
2024 Public Notice Other 3 SDWIS / MS0420003 / 7500
2024 TTHM MR 2 SDWIS / MS0420003 / 2950
2024 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 2 SDWIS / MS0420003 / 2456
2022 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 4 SDWIS / MS0420003 / 8000
2012 Radium-226 MR 58 SDWIS / MS0420003 / 4020
2012 Radium-228 MR 58 SDWIS / MS0420003 / 4030
2011 Combined Uranium MR 80 SDWIS / MS0420003 / 4006
2011 Coliform (TCR) MR 14 SDWIS / MS0420003 / 3100
2011 E. COLI MR 4 SDWIS / MS0420003 / 3014
2009 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 8 SDWIS / MS0420003 / 7000
2008 Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 28 SDWIS / MS0420003 / 4000
2008 Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 28 SDWIS / MS0420003 / 4010
1999 Coliform (TCR) MCL 2 SDWIS / MS0420003 / 3100

How MS Valley State University Compares

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

Metric MS Valley State University Mississippi avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 317 421.3 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 2 8.7 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 67.2% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 2,250 2,774 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 1,185 regulated public water systems in Mississippi.

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 MS Valley State University water safe to drink? ▼
MS Valley State University (PWS ID: MS0420003) has 317 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 2,250 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does MS Valley State University serve? ▼
MS Valley State University serves 2,250 people in Itta Bena, Mississippi. It is a State-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 121 service connections.
What type of violations does MS Valley State University have? ▼
MS Valley State University has 317 total violations: 2 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 294 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in MS Valley State University water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for MS Valley State University under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does MS Valley State University use? ▼
MS Valley State University 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.