Public water system · AL0001163
ActivePelham, City of
At a glance
City of Pelham (PWSID AL0001163) is an active community water system in Shelby County, Alabama. It reports serving 38,703 people through 12,901 service connections. Its primary water source is purchased surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2026.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
38,703
Service connections
12,901
Primary source
SWP
Purchased surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does City of Pelham compare with other water systems in Shelby County?
By EPA's size categories, City of Pelham is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Shelby County has 16 active public water systems, and City of Pelham is the 3rd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 191% above the county average of 13,291 people per system, and accounts for 18% of the 212,655 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 City of Pelham is about 5.8 times 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. Purchased surface water means the system buys surface water from another public water system rather than drawing its own. 152 Alabama systems (26%) list purchased surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates City of Pelham?
EPA lists City of Pelham 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. 14 of the 16 active systems in Shelby County (88%) are also owned by a local government.
Does City of Pelham have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2026. The violations listed here began between January 2026 and January 2026. By type: 12 monitoring and reporting. The contaminants or rules involved are 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene, Toluene, Dichloromethane and Vinyl chloride. EPA lists 12 as archived. 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.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzenecode 2378 | No | Archived |
| 2026-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Toluenecode 2991 | No | Archived |
| 2026-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Dichloromethanecode 2964 | No | Archived |
| 2026-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Vinyl chloridecode 2976 | No | Archived |
| 2026-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,2-Dichloroethanecode 2980 | No | Archived |
| 2026-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Trichloroethylenecode 2984 | No | Archived |
| 2026-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Styrenecode 2996 | No | Archived |
| 2026-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,1-Dichloroethylenecode 2977 | No | Archived |
| 2026-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Ethylbenzenecode 2992 | No | Archived |
| 2026-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Benzenecode 2990 | No | Archived |
| 2026-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Carbon tetrachloridecode 2982 | No | Archived |
| 2026-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,2-Dichloropropanecode 2983 | 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.
City of Pelham: frequently asked questions
Who runs City of Pelham?
City of Pelham (PWSID AL0001163) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the AL state drinking water program.
How many people does City of Pelham serve?
City of Pelham reports serving 38,703 people through 12,901 service connections in Shelby County, Alabama.
Where does City of Pelham get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as purchased surface water. Purchased surface water means the system buys surface water from another public water system rather than drawing its own.
Does City of Pelham have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2026. 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 City of Pelham's 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, none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2026. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the AL state drinking water program.
Where can I find City of Pelham's water quality report?
As a community water system, City of Pelham 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 Shelby County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabaster Water Department, City of | Shelby | 40,986 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Shelby County Commission-Water Services | Shelby | 40,101 | Community | Surface water |
| Calera, the Wwb of Te City of | Shelby | 26,982 | Community | Surface water |
| Helena, the Ub of the City of | Shelby | 21,300 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Columbiana, the Ww Board of the Town of | Shelby | 12,903 | Community | Groundwater |
| Montevallo Water Works & Sewer Board | Shelby | 10,746 | Community | Groundwater under influence of surface water |
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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, “Pelham, City of, PWSID AL0001163, Alabama”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/alabama/pelham-city-of-al0001163 (data as of October 1, 2026).