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Community Water System · PWS SD4600159

Hill City

Hill City, South Dakota 57745 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 872 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

872
People served
251
EPA violations
12
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 251 drinking-water violations at Hill City, 5% of them health-based - above the South Dakota per-system average.

251
Total EPA violations on record
5%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
872
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Hill City

Hill City is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 872 residents in Hill City, South Dakota (Pennington County) through 525 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 251 total violations for this system , of which 12 (5%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 229 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2018.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is 1,1,1-Trichloroethane, recorded in 10 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 South Dakota, EPA tracks 654 public water systems serving 915,901 people, with 56,254 cumulative violations and 8,399 health-based violations on record. About 92% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 86 violations. Statewide, 42 of 49 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (85.7%).

Hill City's 251 violations sit above the South 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
872
Total Violations
251
Health-Based Violations
12
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
525
County
Pennington
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
12
Monitoring Violations
229
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 10 2003
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 10 2003
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 10 2003
Xylenes, Total MR 10 2003
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 10 2003
CHLOROBENZENE MR 10 2003
Benzene MR 10 2003
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 10 2003
Toluene MR 10 2003
Tetrachloroethylene MR 10 2003
Carbon tetrachloride MR 10 2003
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 10 2003
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 10 2003
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 10 2003
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 10 2003
Trichloroethylene MR 10 2003
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 10 2003
Styrene MR 10 2003
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 10 2003
Ethylbenzene MR 10 2003
Vinyl chloride MR 10 2003
Lead and Copper Rule MR 9 2004
Coliform (TCR) MCL 6 1991
Arsenic MCL 6 2018
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 3 2001
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 3 2001
Lead and Copper Rule Other 3 1999
Nitrate MR 2 1994
Asbestos MR 2 1993

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 Hill City.

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 SD4600159 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

South Dakota Drinking Water Authority

South 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 SD 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 Arsenic MCL 6 SDWIS / SD4600159 / 1005
2004 Lead and Copper Rule MR 9 SDWIS / SD4600159 / 5000
2003 1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 10 SDWIS / SD4600159 / 2981
2003 DICHLOROMETHANE MR 10 SDWIS / SD4600159 / 2964
2003 1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 10 SDWIS / SD4600159 / 2985
2003 Xylenes, Total MR 10 SDWIS / SD4600159 / 2955
2003 1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 10 SDWIS / SD4600159 / 2977
2003 CHLOROBENZENE MR 10 SDWIS / SD4600159 / 2989
2003 Benzene MR 10 SDWIS / SD4600159 / 2990
2003 p-Dichlorobenzene MR 10 SDWIS / SD4600159 / 2969
2003 Toluene MR 10 SDWIS / SD4600159 / 2991
2003 Tetrachloroethylene MR 10 SDWIS / SD4600159 / 2987
2003 Carbon tetrachloride MR 10 SDWIS / SD4600159 / 2982
2003 o-Dichlorobenzene MR 10 SDWIS / SD4600159 / 2968
2003 trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 10 SDWIS / SD4600159 / 2979

How Hill City Compares

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

Metric Hill City South Dakota avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 251 86 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 12 12.8 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 85.7% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 872 1,400 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 654 regulated public water systems in South 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 Hill City water safe to drink? ▼
Hill City (PWS ID: SD4600159) has 251 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 872 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Hill City serve? ▼
Hill City serves 872 people in Hill City, South Dakota. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 525 service connections.
What type of violations does Hill City have? ▼
Hill City has 251 total violations: 12 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 229 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Hill City water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Hill City under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Hill City use? ▼
Hill City 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.