Public water system · IN5201001
ActiveBerne Water Department
At a glance
Berne Water Department (PWSID IN5201001) is an active community water system in Adams County, Indiana. It reports serving 4,388 people through 1,854 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 7 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2016.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
4,388
Service connections
1,854
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Berne Water Department compare with other water systems in Adams County?
By EPA's size categories, Berne Water Department is a medium system (3,301 to 10,000 people). Adams County has 74 active public water systems, and Berne Water Department is the 2nd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 14 times the county average of 310 people per system, and accounts for 19% of the 22,936 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Indiana, the 3,969 active systems average 1,456 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Berne Water Department is about 35% 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. Indiana has 770 active community water systems, 19% of the state's 3,969 active systems. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 3,769 Indiana systems (95%) list groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Berne Water Department?
EPA lists Berne Water Department as owned by a local government. The IN state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 4 of the 74 active systems in Adams County (5.4%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Berne Water Department have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 7 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2016. The violations listed here began between June 1980 and January 2016. By type: 3 monitoring and reporting, 3 contaminant level above the legal limit and 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Selenium (3 of them). EPA lists 4 as archived and 3 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. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Resolved |
| 2007-09-27 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 1998-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 1983-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample · code 01 | Seleniumcode 1045 | Yes | Archived |
| 1983-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample · code 01 | Seleniumcode 1045 | Yes | Archived |
| 1983-05-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample · code 01 | Seleniumcode 1045 | Yes | Archived |
| 1980-06-30 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000 | No | Archived |
All 7 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.
Berne Water Department: frequently asked questions
Who runs Berne Water Department?
Berne Water Department (PWSID IN5201001) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the IN state drinking water program.
How many people does Berne Water Department serve?
Berne Water Department reports serving 4,388 people through 1,854 service connections in Adams County, Indiana.
Where does Berne Water Department 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 Berne Water Department have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 7 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2016. 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 Berne Water Department'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 7 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2016. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the IN state drinking water program.
Where can I find Berne Water Department's water quality report?
As a community water system, Berne Water Department 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 Adams County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decatur Water Department | Adams | 9,900 | Community | Groundwater |
| Geneva Water Department | Adams | 1,359 | Community | Groundwater |
| Monroe Water Department | Adams | 872 | Community | Groundwater |
| Amishville U.S.A. | Adams | 821 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| St. John Lutheran Church | Adams | 307 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Zion Evangelical Luthrn Church Friedheim | Adams | 300 | Transient non-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, “Berne Water Department, PWSID IN5201001, Indiana”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/indiana/berne-water-department-in5201001 (data as of October 1, 2026).