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Community Water System · PWS ND0900336

Fargo City Of

Fargo, North Dakota 58103 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 120,762 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

120,762
People served
30
EPA violations
25
Health-based
No PFAS
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 30 drinking-water violations at Fargo City Of, 83% of them health-based - below the North Dakota per-system average.

30
Total EPA violations on record
83%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
120,762
People served by this system
0
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Fargo City Of

Fargo City Of is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 120,762 residents in Fargo, North Dakota (Cass County) through 30,766 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 30 total violations for this system , of which 25 (83%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. The most recent violation on record dates to 2018.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Surface Water Treatment Rule, recorded in 12 violations (TT, health-based). This system was sampled under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program and no PFAS compounds were detected above the minimum reporting level.

Across North Dakota, EPA tracks 368 public water systems serving 712,349 people, with 13,624 cumulative violations and 2,673 health-based violations on record. About 94% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 37 violations. Statewide, 34 of 38 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (89.5%).

Fargo City Of's 30 violations sit below the North Dakota 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
120,762
Total Violations
30
Health-Based Violations
25
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
30,766
County
Cass
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
13
Monitoring Violations
0
Treatment Tech Violations
12

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 12 1997
Bromate MCL 8 2018
Coliform (TCR) MCL 3 1993
TTHM MCL 2 1983

PFAS Testing Results (UCMR5)

Results from EPA's Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule. 0 of 116 samples detected PFAS.

Contaminant Date Result MRL Status
ADONA 7/10/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFBA 7/10/2023 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
11Cl-PF3OUdS 7/10/2023 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
PFOA 7/10/2023 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected
PFUnA 7/10/2023 <2.00 ppt 2.00 ppt Not Detected
PFPeA 7/10/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFPeS 7/10/2023 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected
PFBS 7/10/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFHpA 7/10/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFHxS 7/10/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFDA 7/10/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFDoA 7/10/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFHxA 7/10/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFNA 7/10/2023 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected
HFPO-DA 7/10/2023 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
PFOS 7/10/2023 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected
6:2 FTS 7/10/2023 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
4:2 FTS 7/10/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
8:2 FTS 7/10/2023 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
PFMPA 7/10/2023 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected
PFMBA 7/10/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFEESA 7/10/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
NFDHA 7/10/2023 <20.00 ppt 20.00 ppt Not Detected
PFHpS 7/10/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFTA 7/10/2023 <8.00 ppt 8.00 ppt Not Detected
PFTrDA 7/10/2023 <7.00 ppt 7.00 ppt Not Detected
NEtFOSAA 7/10/2023 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
NMeFOSAA 7/10/2023 <6.00 ppt 6.00 ppt Not Detected
9Cl-PF3ONS 7/10/2023 <2.00 ppt 2.00 ppt Not Detected
11Cl-PF3OUdS 4/11/2023 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
PFMPA 4/11/2023 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected
8:2 FTS 4/11/2023 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
4:2 FTS 4/11/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
6:2 FTS 4/11/2023 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
PFBA 4/11/2023 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
HFPO-DA 4/11/2023 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
9Cl-PF3ONS 4/11/2023 <2.00 ppt 2.00 ppt Not Detected
PFHxA 4/11/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFDoA 4/11/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFDA 4/11/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFHxS 4/11/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
ADONA 4/11/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFTA 4/11/2023 <8.00 ppt 8.00 ppt Not Detected
PFPeS 4/11/2023 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected
PFHpA 4/11/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFPeA 4/11/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFBS 4/11/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFUnA 4/11/2023 <2.00 ppt 2.00 ppt Not Detected
PFMBA 4/11/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFOS 4/11/2023 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected

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 Fargo City Of.

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 ND0900336 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

North Dakota Drinking Water Authority

North Dakota'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 ND 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
2018 Bromate MCL 8 SDWIS / ND0900336 / 1011
1997 Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 12 SDWIS / ND0900336 / 0200
1993 Coliform (TCR) MCL 3 SDWIS / ND0900336 / 3100
1983 TTHM MCL 2 SDWIS / ND0900336 / 2950

How Fargo City Of Compares

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

Metric Fargo City Of North Dakota avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 30 37 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 25 7.3 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 89.5% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 120,762 1,936 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 368 regulated public water systems in North Dakota.

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 Fargo City Of water safe to drink? ▼
Fargo City Of (PWS ID: ND0900336) has 30 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 120,762 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Fargo City Of serve? ▼
Fargo City Of serves 120,762 people in Fargo, North Dakota. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 30,766 service connections.
What type of violations does Fargo City Of have? ▼
Fargo City Of has 30 total violations: 25 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 0 monitoring/reporting violations, and 12 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Fargo City Of water? ▼
No. Fargo City Of was tested for PFAS under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program and no PFAS contamination was detected.
What water source does Fargo City Of use? ▼
Fargo City Of 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.
Data Sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), Q4 2025. PFAS data from EPA UCMR5 monitoring program (2023-2025). 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.