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Community Water System · PWS SD4602023

Maxwell Colony

Scotland, South Dakota 57059 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 150 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

150
People served
430
EPA violations
20
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 430 drinking-water violations at Maxwell Colony, 5% of them health-based - above the South Dakota per-system average.

430
Total EPA violations on record
5%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
150
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Maxwell Colony

Maxwell Colony is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 150 residents in Scotland, South Dakota (Bon Homme County) through 34 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 430 total violations for this system , of which 20 (5%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 405 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2025.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 48 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%).

Maxwell Colony's 430 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
150
Total Violations
430
Health-Based Violations
20
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
34
County
Bon Homme
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
18
Monitoring Violations
405
Treatment Tech Violations
2

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 48 2014
Coliform (TCR) MCL 15 2008
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 7 2013
Vinyl chloride MR 7 2013
Tetrachloroethylene MR 7 2013
Ethylbenzene MR 7 2013
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 7 2013
Carbon tetrachloride MR 7 2013
Styrene MR 7 2013
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 7 2013
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 7 2013
Trichloroethylene MR 7 2013
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 7 2013
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 7 2013
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 7 2013
CHLOROBENZENE MR 7 2013
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 7 2013
Toluene MR 7 2013
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 7 2013
Xylenes, Total MR 7 2013
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 7 2013
Benzene MR 7 2013
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 7 2013
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 6 2001
Arsenic MR 6 2018
Cadmium MR 6 2018
Fluoride MR 6 2018
Selenium MR 6 2018
Barium MR 6 2018
Chromium MR 6 2018

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 Maxwell Colony.

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 SD4602023 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
2025 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 1 SDWIS / SD4602023 / 8000
2023 Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule TT 2 SDWIS / SD4602023 / 0400
2018 Arsenic MR 6 SDWIS / SD4602023 / 1005
2018 Cadmium MR 6 SDWIS / SD4602023 / 1015
2018 Fluoride MR 6 SDWIS / SD4602023 / 1025
2018 Selenium MR 6 SDWIS / SD4602023 / 1045
2018 Barium MR 6 SDWIS / SD4602023 / 1010
2018 Chromium MR 6 SDWIS / SD4602023 / 1020
2018 Mercury MR 6 SDWIS / SD4602023 / 1035
2018 Nitrate MR 4 SDWIS / SD4602023 / 1040
2018 Nitrite MR 3 SDWIS / SD4602023 / 1041
2018 Thallium, Total MR 3 SDWIS / SD4602023 / 1085
2018 Nickel MR 3 SDWIS / SD4602023 / 1036
2018 Beryllium, Total MR 3 SDWIS / SD4602023 / 1075
2018 Antimony, Total MR 3 SDWIS / SD4602023 / 1074

How Maxwell Colony Compares

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

Metric Maxwell Colony South Dakota avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 430 86 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 20 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 150 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 Maxwell Colony water safe to drink? ▼
Maxwell Colony (PWS ID: SD4602023) has 430 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 150 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Maxwell Colony serve? ▼
Maxwell Colony serves 150 people in Scotland, South Dakota. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 34 service connections.
What type of violations does Maxwell Colony have? ▼
Maxwell Colony has 430 total violations: 20 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 405 monitoring/reporting violations, and 2 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Maxwell Colony water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Maxwell Colony under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Maxwell Colony use? ▼
Maxwell Colony 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.