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Community Water System · PWS SD4600185

Lake Andes

Lake Andes, South Dakota 57356 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 710 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

710
People served
52
EPA violations
19
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 52 drinking-water violations at Lake Andes, 37% of them health-based - below the South Dakota per-system average.

52
Total EPA violations on record
37%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
710
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Lake Andes

Lake Andes is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 710 residents in Lake Andes, South Dakota (Charles Mix County) through 353 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 52 total violations for this system , of which 19 (37%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 18 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 Consumer Confidence Rule, recorded in 7 violations (Other). 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%).

Lake Andes's 52 violations sit below 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
710
Total Violations
52
Health-Based Violations
19
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
353
County
Charles Mix
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
18
Treatment Tech Violations
19

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 7 2009
Lead and Copper Rule MR 6 2000
Lead and Copper Rule TT 4 2010
Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule TT 4 2019
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 3 2022
Acrylamide TT 3 1995
Epichlorohydrin TT 3 1995
Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 3 1997
Coliform (TCR) MR 3 2003
Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 2 2020
Lead and Copper Rule Other 2 2001
Nitrate MR 2 1993
Chlorine MR 2 2022
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 1 1976
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 1976

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 Lake Andes.

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 SD4600185 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
2022 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 3 SDWIS / SD4600185 / 8000
2022 Chlorine MR 2 SDWIS / SD4600185 / 0999
2020 Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 2 SDWIS / SD4600185 / 0800
2019 Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule TT 4 SDWIS / SD4600185 / 0400
2010 Lead and Copper Rule TT 4 SDWIS / SD4600185 / 5000
2009 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 7 SDWIS / SD4600185 / 7000
2003 Coliform (TCR) MR 3 SDWIS / SD4600185 / 3100
2001 Lead and Copper Rule Other 2 SDWIS / SD4600185 / 5000
2000 Lead and Copper Rule MR 6 SDWIS / SD4600185 / 5000
1997 Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 3 SDWIS / SD4600185 / 0200
1995 Acrylamide TT 3 SDWIS / SD4600185 / 2265
1995 Epichlorohydrin TT 3 SDWIS / SD4600185 / 2257
1993 Nitrate MR 2 SDWIS / SD4600185 / 1040
1976 Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 1 SDWIS / SD4600185 / 4010
1976 Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 SDWIS / SD4600185 / 4000

How Lake Andes Compares

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

Metric Lake Andes South Dakota avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 52 86 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 19 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 710 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 Lake Andes water safe to drink? ▼
Lake Andes (PWS ID: SD4600185) has 52 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 710 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Lake Andes serve? ▼
Lake Andes serves 710 people in Lake Andes, South Dakota. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 353 service connections.
What type of violations does Lake Andes have? ▼
Lake Andes has 52 total violations: 19 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 18 monitoring/reporting violations, and 19 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Lake Andes water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Lake Andes under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Lake Andes use? ▼
Lake Andes 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.