Public water system · AL0000384
ActiveSanford Water System
At a glance
Sanford Water System (PWSID AL0000384) is an active community water system in Covington County, Alabama. It reports serving 498 people through 170 service connections. Its primary water source is purchased groundwater, and EPA lists it as privately owned. EPA's records list 4 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in September 1995.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
498
Service connections
170
Primary source
GWP
Purchased groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Sanford Water System compare with other water systems in Covington County?
By EPA's size categories, Sanford Water System is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Covington County has 11 active public water systems. Its population served is well below the county average of 4,271 people per system, and accounts for 1.1% of the 46,980 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 Sanford Water System is well below 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 groundwater means the system buys groundwater from another public water system rather than drawing its own. 37 Alabama systems (6.4%) list purchased groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Sanford Water System?
EPA lists Sanford Water System as privately owned. 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. 2 of the 11 active systems in Covington County (18%) are also privately owned.
Does Sanford Water System have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 4 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in September 1995. The violations listed here began between December 1990 and September 1995. By type: 4 monitoring and reporting. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (4 of them). EPA lists 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-09-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1995-08-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Repeat Minor (TCR) · code 26 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1994-02-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1990-12-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
All 4 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.
Sanford Water System: frequently asked questions
Who runs Sanford Water System?
Sanford Water System (PWSID AL0000384) is a community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the AL state drinking water program.
How many people does Sanford Water System serve?
Sanford Water System reports serving 498 people through 170 service connections in Covington County, Alabama.
Where does Sanford Water System get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as purchased groundwater. Purchased groundwater means the system buys groundwater from another public water system rather than drawing its own.
Does Sanford Water System have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 4 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in September 1995. 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 Sanford Water System'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. EPA's records list 4 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in September 1995. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the AL state drinking water program.
Where can I find Sanford Water System's water quality report?
As a community water system, Sanford Water System 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 Covington County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andalusia, Utilities Board of | Covington | 15,251 | Community | Groundwater |
| Covington County Water Authority | Covington | 13,224 | Community | Groundwater |
| Opp Utilities Board | Covington | 10,266 | Community | Groundwater |
| Florala Water Works & Sewer Board | Covington | 3,834 | Community | Groundwater |
| River Falls Water System | Covington | 1,050 | Community | Groundwater |
| Red Level Water Works | Covington | 855 | Community | Groundwater |
Related pages
Working with water-system records? Pro adds alerts, change history and CSV export ($49/mo); Enterprise adds full national files, the API and an MCP server for AI tools.
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, “Sanford Water System, PWSID AL0000384, Alabama”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/alabama/sanford-water-system-al0000384 (data as of October 1, 2026).