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Community Water System · PWS SD4600288

Salem

Salem, South Dakota 57058 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 1,325 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

1,325
People served
87
EPA violations
13
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 87 drinking-water violations at Salem, 15% of them health-based - above the South Dakota per-system average.

87
Total EPA violations on record
15%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
1,325
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Salem

Salem is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 1,325 residents in Salem, South Dakota (McCook County) through 663 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 87 total violations for this system , of which 13 (15%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 59 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2013.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Lead and Copper Rule, recorded in 9 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%).

Salem's 87 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
1,325
Total Violations
87
Health-Based Violations
13
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
663
County
McCook
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
13
Monitoring Violations
59
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Lead and Copper Rule MR 9 1999
Coliform (TCR) MCL 9 2013
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MCL 4 1997
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 3 1994
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 3 1994
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 2 1993
Tetrachloroethylene MR 2 1993
Ethylbenzene MR 2 1993
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 2 1993
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 2 1993
Xylenes, Total MR 2 1993
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 2 1993
CHLOROBENZENE MR 2 1993
Benzene MR 2 1993
Trichloroethylene MR 2 1993
Toluene MR 2 1993
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 2 1993
Nitrate MR 2 1997
Vinyl chloride MR 2 1993
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 2 1993
Carbon tetrachloride MR 2 1993
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 2 1993
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 2 1993
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 2 1993
Styrene MR 2 1993
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 2 1993
o-Dichlorobenzene 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 Salem.

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 SD4600288 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
2013 Coliform (TCR) MCL 9 SDWIS / SD4600288 / 3100
1999 Lead and Copper Rule MR 9 SDWIS / SD4600288 / 5000
1997 Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MCL 4 SDWIS / SD4600288 / 4010
1997 Nitrate MR 2 SDWIS / SD4600288 / 1040
1994 Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 3 SDWIS / SD4600288 / 4010
1994 Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 3 SDWIS / SD4600288 / 4000
1993 1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 2 SDWIS / SD4600288 / 2981
1993 Tetrachloroethylene MR 2 SDWIS / SD4600288 / 2987
1993 Ethylbenzene MR 2 SDWIS / SD4600288 / 2992
1993 DICHLOROMETHANE MR 2 SDWIS / SD4600288 / 2964
1993 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 2 SDWIS / SD4600288 / 2378
1993 Xylenes, Total MR 2 SDWIS / SD4600288 / 2955
1993 1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 2 SDWIS / SD4600288 / 2977
1993 CHLOROBENZENE MR 2 SDWIS / SD4600288 / 2989
1993 Benzene MR 2 SDWIS / SD4600288 / 2990

How Salem Compares

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

Metric Salem South Dakota avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 87 86 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 13 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 1,325 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 Salem water safe to drink? ▼
Salem (PWS ID: SD4600288) has 87 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 1,325 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Salem serve? ▼
Salem serves 1,325 people in Salem, South Dakota. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 663 service connections.
What type of violations does Salem have? ▼
Salem has 87 total violations: 13 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 59 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Salem water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Salem under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Salem use? ▼
Salem 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.