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ELLSWORTH AFB

PWS ID: SD4680004 · ELLSWORTH AFB, South Dakota 57706

ELLSWORTH AFB serves 9,100 people in ELLSWORTH AFB, South Dakota using Surface Water water sources. It has 17 recorded EPA violations, including 12 health-based violations. PFAS "forever chemicals" were detected in UCMR5 testing (1 compound found).

Water Quality Snapshot: ELLSWORTH AFB

ELLSWORTH AFB is a federal-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 9,100 residents in ELLSWORTH AFB, South Dakota (Pennington County) through 2,000 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 17 total violations for this system , of which 12 (71%) are health-based — meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 1 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2014.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 12 violations (MCL, health-based). Under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, 1 PFAS compound was detected in samples collected from this system, with a maximum reported concentration of 9.96 ppt. PFAS are persistent synthetic chemicals linked to health effects at very low exposure levels.

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. ELLSWORTH AFB's 17 violations sit below the South Dakota average. Statewide, 42 of 49 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (85.7%). All figures above are sourced directly from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 public data releases and are updated as EPA publishes new reporting cycles.

PFAS Detected

1 PFAS "forever chemicals" detected in testing under EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.

Population Served
9,100
Total Violations
17
Health-Based Violations
12
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Federal
Connections
2,000
County
Pennington
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
12
Monitoring Violations
1
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MCL 12 2014
Coliform (TCR) MR 1 1992

PFAS Testing Results (UCMR5)

Results from EPA's Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule. 2 of 120 samples detected PFAS.

Contaminant Date Result MRL Status
PFEESA 8/7/2023 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
ADONA 8/7/2023 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFPeS 8/7/2023 <0.004 µg/L 0.004 µg/L Not Detected
PFHpS 8/7/2023 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFPeA 8/7/2023 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFMPA 8/7/2023 <0.004 µg/L 0.004 µg/L Not Detected
8:2 FTS 8/7/2023 <0.005 µg/L 0.005 µg/L Not Detected
4:2 FTS 8/7/2023 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
6:2 FTS 8/7/2023 <0.005 µg/L 0.005 µg/L Not Detected
HFPO-DA 8/7/2023 <0.005 µg/L 0.005 µg/L Not Detected
NFDHA 8/7/2023 <0.02 µg/L 0.02 µg/L Not Detected
9Cl-PF3ONS 8/7/2023 <0.002 µg/L 0.002 µg/L Not Detected
PFHxS 8/7/2023 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFHpA 8/7/2023 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFBS 8/7/2023 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
11Cl-PF3OUdS 8/7/2023 <0.005 µg/L 0.005 µg/L Not Detected
PFNA 8/7/2023 <0.004 µg/L 0.004 µg/L Not Detected
PFOS 8/7/2023 <0.004 µg/L 0.004 µg/L Not Detected
PFOA 8/7/2023 <0.004 µg/L 0.004 µg/L Not Detected
PFDA 8/7/2023 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFDoA 8/7/2023 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFHxA 8/7/2023 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFBA 8/7/2023 <0.005 µg/L 0.005 µg/L Not Detected
NEtFOSAA 8/7/2023 <0.005 µg/L 0.005 µg/L Not Detected
PFTrDA 8/7/2023 <0.007 µg/L 0.007 µg/L Not Detected
NMeFOSAA 8/7/2023 <0.006 µg/L 0.006 µg/L Not Detected
PFTA 8/7/2023 <0.008 µg/L 0.008 µg/L Not Detected
lithium 8/7/2023 <9 µg/L 9 µg/L Not Detected
PFUnA 8/7/2023 <0.002 µg/L 0.002 µg/L Not Detected
PFMBA 8/7/2023 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
6:2 FTS 5/16/2023 <0.005 µg/L 0.005 µg/L Not Detected
PFBS 5/16/2023 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFOA 5/16/2023 <0.004 µg/L 0.004 µg/L Not Detected
PFDA 5/16/2023 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFDoA 5/16/2023 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFHxA 5/16/2023 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFUnA 5/16/2023 <0.002 µg/L 0.002 µg/L Not Detected
11Cl-PF3OUdS 5/16/2023 <0.005 µg/L 0.005 µg/L Not Detected
9Cl-PF3ONS 5/16/2023 <0.002 µg/L 0.002 µg/L Not Detected
ADONA 5/16/2023 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFOS 5/16/2023 <0.004 µg/L 0.004 µg/L Not Detected
PFNA 5/16/2023 <0.004 µg/L 0.004 µg/L Not Detected
PFBA 5/16/2023 <0.005 µg/L 0.005 µg/L Not Detected
8:2 FTS 5/16/2023 <0.005 µg/L 0.005 µg/L Not Detected
PFMPA 5/16/2023 <0.004 µg/L 0.004 µg/L Not Detected
PFPeA 5/16/2023 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFMBA 5/16/2023 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFEESA 5/16/2023 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
NFDHA 5/16/2023 <0.02 µg/L 0.02 µg/L Not Detected
lithium 5/16/2023 9.9600 µg/L 9 µg/L Detected

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 ELLSWORTH AFB.

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 SD4680004 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
2014 Coliform (TCR) MCL 12 SDWIS / SD4680004 / 3100
1992 Coliform (TCR) MR 1 SDWIS / SD4680004 / 3100

How ELLSWORTH AFB Compares

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

Metric ELLSWORTH AFB South Dakota avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 17 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 1 compound 85.7% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 9,100 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
Nitrate (as N) 10 mg/L Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ELLSWORTH AFB water safe to drink? ▼
ELLSWORTH AFB (PWS ID: SD4680004) has 17 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. PFAS contamination has been detected in UCMR5 testing, with 1 PFAS compound found. This system serves 9,100 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does ELLSWORTH AFB serve? ▼
ELLSWORTH AFB serves 9,100 people in ELLSWORTH AFB, South Dakota. It is a Federal-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 2,000 service connections.
What type of violations does ELLSWORTH AFB have? ▼
ELLSWORTH AFB has 17 total violations: 12 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 1 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in ELLSWORTH AFB water? ▼
Yes. UCMR5 testing detected 1 PFAS compound in ELLSWORTH AFB's water supply: lithium. PFAS are persistent "forever chemicals" that do not break down in the environment.
What water source does ELLSWORTH AFB use? ▼
ELLSWORTH AFB 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.

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Data Sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), Q4 2025. PFAS data from EPA UCMR5 monitoring program (2023-2025). This data is provided for informational purposes only.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

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Data sourced from $official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by Kiznis Studio Editorial