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Community Water System · PWS PR0004665

Culebras

Cayey, Puerto Rico 00660 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 2,056 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

2,056
People served
139
EPA violations
76
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 139 drinking-water violations at Culebras, 55% of them health-based - below the Puerto Rico per-system average.

139
Total EPA violations on record
55%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
2,056
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Culebras

Culebras is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 2,056 residents in Cayey, Puerto Rico (Cayey Municipio County) through 770 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 139 total violations for this system , of which 76 (55%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 39 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2022.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule, recorded in 42 violations (TT, health-based). 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%).

Culebras's 139 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
2,056
Total Violations
139
Health-Based Violations
76
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
770
County
Cayey Municipio
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
11
Monitoring Violations
39
Treatment Tech Violations
65

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 42 2006
Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 19 2005
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL 11 2020
Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 7 2004
Arsenic MR 5 2006
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 5 2022
Lead and Copper Rule MR 4 2016
CARBON, TOTAL TT 4 2004
Coliform (TCR) MR 2 2014
Fluoride MR 2 1984
Mercury MR 2 1984
Chromium MR 2 1984
Cadmium MR 2 1984
Barium MR 2 1984
Nitrate MR 2 1984
Selenium MR 2 1984
CARBON, TOTAL MR 2 2007
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 1 1980
Cryptosporidium MR 1 2010
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 1980
Thallium, Total MR 1 2006
Antimony, Total 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 Culebras.

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 PR0004665 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
2022 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 5 SDWIS / PR0004665 / 7000
2020 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL 11 SDWIS / PR0004665 / 2456
2016 Lead and Copper Rule MR 4 SDWIS / PR0004665 / 5000
2014 Coliform (TCR) MR 2 SDWIS / PR0004665 / 3100
2010 Cryptosporidium MR 1 SDWIS / PR0004665 / 3015
2007 CARBON, TOTAL MR 2 SDWIS / PR0004665 / 2920
2006 Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 42 SDWIS / PR0004665 / 0300
2006 Arsenic MR 5 SDWIS / PR0004665 / 1005
2006 Thallium, Total MR 1 SDWIS / PR0004665 / 1085
2006 Antimony, Total MR 1 SDWIS / PR0004665 / 1074
2005 Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 19 SDWIS / PR0004665 / 0200
2004 Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 7 SDWIS / PR0004665 / 0200
2004 CARBON, TOTAL TT 4 SDWIS / PR0004665 / 2920
1984 Fluoride MR 2 SDWIS / PR0004665 / 1025
1984 Mercury MR 2 SDWIS / PR0004665 / 1035

How Culebras Compares

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

Metric Culebras Puerto Rico avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 139 358.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 76 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 2,056 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 Culebras water safe to drink? ▼
Culebras (PWS ID: PR0004665) has 139 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 2,056 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Culebras serve? ▼
Culebras serves 2,056 people in Cayey, Puerto Rico. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 770 service connections.
What type of violations does Culebras have? ▼
Culebras has 139 total violations: 76 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 39 monitoring/reporting violations, and 65 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Culebras water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Culebras under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Culebras use? ▼
Culebras 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.