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Community Water System · PWS PR0003842

Alturas

Vega Baja, Puerto Rico 00763 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 6,242 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

6,242
People served
53
EPA violations
2
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 53 drinking-water violations at Alturas, 4% of them health-based - below the Puerto Rico per-system average.

53
Total EPA violations on record
4%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
6,242
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Alturas

Alturas is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 6,242 residents in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico (Vega Baja Municipio County) through 2,338 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 53 total violations for this system , of which 2 (4%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 51 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2011.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is TTHM, recorded in 6 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 Puerto Rico, EPA tracks 458 public water systems serving 3,328,141 people, with 164,144 cumulative violations and 34,657 health-based violations on record. About 100% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 358.4 violations. Statewide, 40 of 99 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (40.4%).

Alturas's 53 violations sit below the Puerto Rico 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
6,242
Total Violations
53
Health-Based Violations
2
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
2,338
County
Vega Baja Municipio
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
2
Monitoring Violations
51
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
TTHM MR 6 2006
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 6 2006
Lead and Copper Rule MR 6 2011
OXAMYL MR 2 2009
Carbofuran MR 2 2009
Coliform (TCR) MCL 2 2005
Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate MR 2 2007
BHC-GAMMA MR 1 2006
Methoxychlor MR 1 2006
Dalapon MR 1 2006
Diquat MR 1 2006
Endothall MR 1 2006
Simazine MR 1 2006
Picloram MR 1 2006
Dinoseb MR 1 2006
Hexachlorocyclopentadiene MR 1 2006
LASSO MR 1 2006
Heptachlor MR 1 2006
2,4-D MR 1 2006
2,4,5-TP MR 1 2006
HEXACHLOROBENZENE MR 1 2006
Benzo(a)pyrene MR 1 2006
Pentachlorophenol MR 1 2006
Chlordane MR 1 2006
1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE MR 1 2006
Endrin MR 1 2006
Heptachlor epoxide MR 1 2006
Toxaphene MR 1 2006
Total Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) MR 1 2006
Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 1 2006

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 Alturas.

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 PR0003842 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Puerto Rico Drinking Water Authority

Puerto Rico'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 PR 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
2011 Lead and Copper Rule MR 6 SDWIS / PR0003842 / 5000
2009 OXAMYL MR 2 SDWIS / PR0003842 / 2036
2009 Carbofuran MR 2 SDWIS / PR0003842 / 2046
2007 Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate MR 2 SDWIS / PR0003842 / 2039
2006 TTHM MR 6 SDWIS / PR0003842 / 2950
2006 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 6 SDWIS / PR0003842 / 2456
2006 BHC-GAMMA MR 1 SDWIS / PR0003842 / 2010
2006 Methoxychlor MR 1 SDWIS / PR0003842 / 2015
2006 Dalapon MR 1 SDWIS / PR0003842 / 2031
2006 Diquat MR 1 SDWIS / PR0003842 / 2032
2006 Endothall MR 1 SDWIS / PR0003842 / 2033
2006 Simazine MR 1 SDWIS / PR0003842 / 2037
2006 Picloram MR 1 SDWIS / PR0003842 / 2040
2006 Dinoseb MR 1 SDWIS / PR0003842 / 2041
2006 Hexachlorocyclopentadiene MR 1 SDWIS / PR0003842 / 2042

How Alturas Compares

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

Metric Alturas Puerto Rico avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 53 358.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 2 75.7 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 40.4% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 6,242 7,267 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 458 regulated public water systems in Puerto Rico.

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 Alturas water safe to drink? ▼
Alturas (PWS ID: PR0003842) has 53 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 6,242 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Alturas serve? ▼
Alturas serves 6,242 people in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 2,338 service connections.
What type of violations does Alturas have? ▼
Alturas has 53 total violations: 2 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 51 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Alturas water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Alturas under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Alturas use? ▼
Alturas 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. 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.