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Community Water System · PWS NV0000300

Desert Utilities

Pahrump, Nevada 89060 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 1,086 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

1,086
People served
264
EPA violations
3
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 264 drinking-water violations at Desert Utilities, 1% of them health-based - above the Nevada per-system average.

264
Total EPA violations on record
1%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
1,086
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Desert Utilities

Desert Utilities is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 1,086 residents in Pahrump, Nevada (Nye County) through 488 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 264 total violations for this system , of which 3 (1%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 228 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2009.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 7 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 Nevada, EPA tracks 589 public water systems serving 3,455,285 people, with 56,333 cumulative violations and 6,657 health-based violations on record. About 93% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 95.6 violations. Statewide, 50 of 57 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (87.7%).

Desert Utilities's 264 violations sit above the Nevada 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
1,086
Total Violations
264
Health-Based Violations
3
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
488
County
Nye
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
3
Monitoring Violations
228
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 7 2009
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 6 1999
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 6 1999
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 6 1999
Vinyl chloride MR 6 1999
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 6 1999
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 6 1999
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 6 1999
Toluene MR 6 1999
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 6 1999
Xylenes, Total MR 6 1999
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 6 1999
Carbon tetrachloride MR 6 1999
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 6 1999
Trichloroethylene MR 6 1999
Tetrachloroethylene MR 6 1999
CHLOROBENZENE MR 6 1999
Benzene MR 6 1999
Ethylbenzene MR 6 1999
Styrene MR 6 1999
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 6 1999
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 6 1999
Methoxychlor MR 3 1999
Toxaphene MR 3 1999
Aldicarb sulfoxide MR 3 1999
Aldicarb sulfone MR 3 1999
Aldicarb MR 3 1999
Atrazine MR 3 1999
LASSO MR 3 1999
Heptachlor epoxide MR 3 1999

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 Desert Utilities.

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 NV0000300 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Nevada Drinking Water Authority

Nevada'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 NV 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
2009 Coliform (TCR) MR 7 SDWIS / NV0000300 / 3100
2005 TTHM MR 1 SDWIS / NV0000300 / 2950
2005 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 1 SDWIS / NV0000300 / 2456
1999 cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 6 SDWIS / NV0000300 / 2380
1999 o-Dichlorobenzene MR 6 SDWIS / NV0000300 / 2968
1999 p-Dichlorobenzene MR 6 SDWIS / NV0000300 / 2969
1999 Vinyl chloride MR 6 SDWIS / NV0000300 / 2976
1999 1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 6 SDWIS / NV0000300 / 2977
1999 trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 6 SDWIS / NV0000300 / 2979
1999 1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 6 SDWIS / NV0000300 / 2981
1999 Toluene MR 6 SDWIS / NV0000300 / 2991
1999 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 6 SDWIS / NV0000300 / 2378
1999 Xylenes, Total MR 6 SDWIS / NV0000300 / 2955
1999 1,2-Dichloroethane MR 6 SDWIS / NV0000300 / 2980
1999 Carbon tetrachloride MR 6 SDWIS / NV0000300 / 2982

How Desert Utilities Compares

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

Metric Desert Utilities Nevada avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 264 95.6 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 3 11.3 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 87.7% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 1,086 5,866 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 589 regulated public water systems in Nevada.

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 Desert Utilities water safe to drink? ▼
Desert Utilities (PWS ID: NV0000300) has 264 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 1,086 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Desert Utilities serve? ▼
Desert Utilities serves 1,086 people in Pahrump, Nevada. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 488 service connections.
What type of violations does Desert Utilities have? ▼
Desert Utilities has 264 total violations: 3 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 228 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Desert Utilities water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Desert Utilities under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Desert Utilities use? ▼
Desert Utilities 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.