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Community Water System · PWS WI8040131

Iron River Sanitary District

Iron River, Wisconsin 54847 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 600 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

600
People served
420
EPA violations
60
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 420 drinking-water violations at Iron River Sanitary District, 14% of them health-based - above the Wisconsin per-system average.

420
Total EPA violations on record
14%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
600
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Iron River Sanitary District

Iron River Sanitary District is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 600 residents in Iron River, Wisconsin (Bayfield County) through 222 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 420 total violations for this system , of which 60 (14%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 353 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 59 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 Wisconsin, EPA tracks 10,988 public water systems serving 5,131,439 people, with 285,161 cumulative violations and 58,688 health-based violations on record. About 72% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 26 violations. Statewide, 78 of 202 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (38.6%).

Iron River Sanitary District's 420 violations sit above the Wisconsin 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
600
Total Violations
420
Health-Based Violations
60
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
222
County
Bayfield
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
59
Monitoring Violations
353
Treatment Tech Violations
1

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MCL 59 2011
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 15 2024
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 15 2025
TTHM MR 15 2025
Coliform (TCR) MR 10 2010
Beryllium, Total MR 8 2020
Selenium MR 8 2020
Nitrite MR 8 2020
Nickel MR 8 2020
Chromium MR 8 2020
Cadmium MR 8 2020
Barium MR 8 2020
Arsenic MR 8 2020
Nitrate-Nitrite MR 8 2020
Thallium, Total MR 8 2020
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 8 2020
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 8 2020
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 8 2020
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 8 2020
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 8 2020
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 8 2020
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 8 2020
Trichloroethylene MR 8 2020
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 8 2020
Tetrachloroethylene MR 8 2020
CHLOROBENZENE MR 8 2020
Benzene MR 8 2020
Ethylbenzene MR 8 2020
Styrene MR 8 2020
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 8 2020

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 Iron River Sanitary District.

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 WI8040131 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Wisconsin Drinking Water Authority

Wisconsin DNR, Drinking Water and Groundwater is the primacy agency that licenses and inspects Iron River Sanitary District under EPA-delegated authority.

Open WI regulator portal

Source: Wisconsin DNR, Drinking Water and Groundwater

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 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 15 SDWIS / WI8040131 / 2456
2025 TTHM MR 15 SDWIS / WI8040131 / 2950
2024 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 15 SDWIS / WI8040131 / 8000
2024 Public Notice Other 3 SDWIS / WI8040131 / 7500
2024 LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS TT 1 SDWIS / WI8040131 / 5200
2021 Lead and Copper Rule MR 2 SDWIS / WI8040131 / 5000
2020 Beryllium, Total MR 8 SDWIS / WI8040131 / 1075
2020 Selenium MR 8 SDWIS / WI8040131 / 1045
2020 Nitrite MR 8 SDWIS / WI8040131 / 1041
2020 Nickel MR 8 SDWIS / WI8040131 / 1036
2020 Chromium MR 8 SDWIS / WI8040131 / 1020
2020 Cadmium MR 8 SDWIS / WI8040131 / 1015
2020 Barium MR 8 SDWIS / WI8040131 / 1010
2020 Arsenic MR 8 SDWIS / WI8040131 / 1005
2020 Nitrate-Nitrite MR 8 SDWIS / WI8040131 / 1038

How Iron River Sanitary District Compares

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

Metric Iron River Sanitary District Wisconsin avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 420 26 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 60 5.3 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 38.6% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 600 467 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 10,988 regulated public water systems in Wisconsin.

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 Iron River Sanitary District water safe to drink? ▼
Iron River Sanitary District (PWS ID: WI8040131) has 420 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 600 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Iron River Sanitary District serve? ▼
Iron River Sanitary District serves 600 people in Iron River, Wisconsin. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 222 service connections.
What type of violations does Iron River Sanitary District have? ▼
Iron River Sanitary District has 420 total violations: 60 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 353 monitoring/reporting violations, and 1 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Iron River Sanitary District water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Iron River Sanitary District under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Iron River Sanitary District use? ▼
Iron River Sanitary District 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.