Public water system · AL0000677
ActiveCottonwood Water Works
At a glance
Cottonwood Water Works (PWSID AL0000677) is an active community water system in Houston County, Alabama. It reports serving 3,570 people through 1,180 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in December 2024.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
3,570
Service connections
1,180
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Cottonwood Water Works compare with other water systems in Houston County?
By EPA's size categories, Cottonwood Water Works is a medium system (3,301 to 10,000 people). Houston County has 15 active public water systems, and Cottonwood Water Works is the 5th-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 58% below the county average of 8,506 people per system, and accounts for 2.8% of the 127,596 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Alabama, the 576 active systems average 11,028 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Cottonwood Water Works is about half of that figure.
What does “community water system” mean?
A community water system serves at least 15 connections used by year-round residents, or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. Homes, apartments and mobile-home parks are served by these. Alabama has 505 active community water systems, 88% of the state's 576 active systems. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 302 Alabama systems (52%) list groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Cottonwood Water Works?
EPA lists Cottonwood Water Works as owned by a local government. The AL state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 11 of the 15 active systems in Houston County (73%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Cottonwood Water Works have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in December 2024. The violations listed here began between January 2023 and December 2024. By type: 9 monitoring and reporting, 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other, 1 required treatment not met and 1 reporting. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (2 of them). EPA lists 9 as archived, 2 as unaddressed and 1 as resolved. Archived means the violation was not marked resolved but is more than five years past the end of the noncompliance period, so it no longer counts toward current compliance status. Unaddressed means the violation is not resolved or archived and is not yet covered by formal enforcement. Resolved means at least one resolving action is on record: the system returned to compliance, the rule no longer applies, or no further action was needed.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-12-07 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2024-10-17 | Required treatment not metLSL Inventory · code 2E | Lead and Copper Rule Revisionscode 5200 | Yes | Unaddressed |
| 2024-10-17 | ReportingLSL Reporting · code 4G | Lead and Copper Rule Revisionscode 5200 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Diquatcode 2032 | No | Archived |
| 2023-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Simazinecode 2037 | No | Archived |
| 2023-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 2,4,5-TP (Silvex)code 2110 | No | Archived |
| 2023-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Endrincode 2005 | No | Archived |
| 2023-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalatecode 2039 | No | Archived |
| 2023-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Dalaponcode 2031 | No | Archived |
| 2023-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Lindane (gamma-BHC)code 2010 | No | Archived |
| 2023-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 2,4-Dcode 2105 | No | Archived |
| 2023-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Hexachlorocyclopentadienecode 2042 | No | Archived |
The 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, newest first.Labels and codes come from EPA's SDWIS reference tables. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found. "Health-based" marks violations of a legal limit or required treatment.
Cottonwood Water Works: frequently asked questions
Who runs Cottonwood Water Works?
Cottonwood Water Works (PWSID AL0000677) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the AL state drinking water program.
How many people does Cottonwood Water Works serve?
Cottonwood Water Works reports serving 3,570 people through 1,180 service connections in Houston County, Alabama.
Where does Cottonwood Water Works get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as groundwater. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers.
Does Cottonwood Water Works have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in December 2024. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found.
Is Cottonwood Water Works' water safe to drink?
AquaCensus shows EPA compliance records, not current water test results, so it cannot say whether the water is safe at a given moment. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in December 2024. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the AL state drinking water program.
Where can I find Cottonwood Water Works' water quality report?
As a community water system, Cottonwood Water Works must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1 each year, covering the previous calendar year. The system can provide a copy on request.
Other water systems in Houston County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dothan Utilities, City of | Houston | 97,146 | Community | Groundwater |
| Taylor Water System | Houston | 9,339 | Community | Groundwater |
| Houston County Water Authority | Houston | 4,902 | Community | Groundwater |
| Ashford Water Works | Houston | 3,816 | Community | Groundwater |
| Cowarts Water System | Houston | 2,262 | Community | Groundwater |
| Kinsey Water System | Houston | 2,010 | Community | Groundwater |
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About this data
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and SDWA violation records, via EPA ECHO, as published October 1, 2026 — AquaCensus refreshes it quarterly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: AquaCensus, “Cottonwood Water Works, PWSID AL0000677, Alabama”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/alabama/cottonwood-water-works-al0000677 (data as of October 1, 2026).