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Community Water System · PWS SD4600407

Spencer

Spencer, South Dakota 57374 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 170 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

170
People served
78
EPA violations
10
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 78 drinking-water violations at Spencer, 13% of them health-based - below the South Dakota per-system average.

78
Total EPA violations on record
13%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
170
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Spencer

Spencer is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 170 residents in Spencer, South Dakota (McCook County) through 68 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 78 total violations for this system , of which 10 (13%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 54 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2016.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 6 violations (MCL, 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 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%).

Spencer's 78 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
170
Total Violations
78
Health-Based Violations
10
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
68
County
McCook
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
6
Monitoring Violations
54
Treatment Tech Violations
4

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MCL 6 1996
Lead and Copper Rule MR 6 1996
Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule TT 4 2016
Coliform (TCR) MR 4 1995
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 2008
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 2 1994
Vinyl chloride MR 2 1994
Tetrachloroethylene MR 2 1994
Xylenes, Total MR 2 1994
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 2 1994
Carbon tetrachloride MR 2 1994
CHLOROBENZENE MR 2 1994
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 2 1994
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 2 1994
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 2 1994
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 2 1994
Trichloroethylene MR 2 1994
Toluene MR 2 1994
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 2 1994
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 2 1994
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 2 1994
Styrene MR 2 1994
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 2 1994
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 2 1994
Benzene MR 2 1994
Ethylbenzene MR 2 1994
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 1976
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) 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 Spencer.

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 SD4600407 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
2016 Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule TT 4 SDWIS / SD4600407 / 0400
2008 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 SDWIS / SD4600407 / 7000
1996 Coliform (TCR) MCL 6 SDWIS / SD4600407 / 3100
1996 Lead and Copper Rule MR 6 SDWIS / SD4600407 / 5000
1995 Coliform (TCR) MR 4 SDWIS / SD4600407 / 3100
1994 cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 2 SDWIS / SD4600407 / 2380
1994 Vinyl chloride MR 2 SDWIS / SD4600407 / 2976
1994 Tetrachloroethylene MR 2 SDWIS / SD4600407 / 2987
1994 Xylenes, Total MR 2 SDWIS / SD4600407 / 2955
1994 1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 2 SDWIS / SD4600407 / 2977
1994 Carbon tetrachloride MR 2 SDWIS / SD4600407 / 2982
1994 CHLOROBENZENE MR 2 SDWIS / SD4600407 / 2989
1994 o-Dichlorobenzene MR 2 SDWIS / SD4600407 / 2968
1994 1,2-Dichloropropane MR 2 SDWIS / SD4600407 / 2983
1994 p-Dichlorobenzene MR 2 SDWIS / SD4600407 / 2969

How Spencer Compares

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

Metric Spencer South Dakota avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 78 86 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 10 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 170 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 Spencer water safe to drink? ▼
Spencer (PWS ID: SD4600407) has 78 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 170 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Spencer serve? ▼
Spencer serves 170 people in Spencer, South Dakota. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 68 service connections.
What type of violations does Spencer have? ▼
Spencer has 78 total violations: 10 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 54 monitoring/reporting violations, and 4 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Spencer water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Spencer under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Spencer use? ▼
Spencer 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.