Public water system · IN5290001
ActiveBluffton Utilities Water Dept
At a glance
Bluffton Utilities Water Dept (PWSID IN5290001) is an active community water system in Wells County, Indiana. It reports serving 10,298 people through 4,100 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 10 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in November 2022.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
10,298
Service connections
4,100
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Bluffton Utilities Water Dept compare with other water systems in Wells County?
By EPA's size categories, Bluffton Utilities Water Dept is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Wells County has 25 active public water systems, and Bluffton Utilities Water Dept is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 12 times the county average of 845 people per system, and accounts for 49% of the 21,120 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 Bluffton Utilities Water Dept is about 54% above 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 Bluffton Utilities Water Dept?
EPA lists Bluffton Utilities Water Dept 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. 7 of the 25 active systems in Wells County (28%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Bluffton Utilities Water Dept have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 10 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in November 2022. The violations listed here began between June 1980 and November 2022. By type: 9 monitoring and reporting and 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminants or rules involved are Revised Total Coliform Rule, Nitrate, Fluoride and Mercury. EPA lists 9 as archived 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. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-11-16 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherSample Siting Plan Errors (RTCR) · code 5A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 1981-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Archived |
| 1981-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Fluoridecode 1025 | No | Archived |
| 1981-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Mercurycode 1035 | No | Archived |
| 1981-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Chromiumcode 1020 | No | Archived |
| 1981-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Cadmiumcode 1015 | No | Archived |
| 1981-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Bariumcode 1010 | No | Archived |
| 1981-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Arseniccode 1005 | No | Archived |
| 1981-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Seleniumcode 1045 | No | Archived |
| 1980-06-30 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000 | No | Archived |
All 10 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.
Bluffton Utilities Water Dept: frequently asked questions
Who runs Bluffton Utilities Water Dept?
Bluffton Utilities Water Dept (PWSID IN5290001) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the IN state drinking water program.
How many people does Bluffton Utilities Water Dept serve?
Bluffton Utilities Water Dept reports serving 10,298 people through 4,100 service connections in Wells County, Indiana.
Where does Bluffton Utilities Water Dept 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 Bluffton Utilities Water Dept have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 10 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in November 2022. 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 Bluffton Utilities Water Dept'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 10 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in November 2022. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the IN state drinking water program.
Where can I find Bluffton Utilities Water Dept's water quality report?
As a community water system, Bluffton Utilities Water Dept 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 Wells County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ossian Municipal Water Department | Wells | 3,289 | Community | Groundwater |
| Southern Wells Jr./Sr. High - Well 1 | Wells | 980 | Non-transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Bummies B & K Root Beer | Wells | 962 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Norwell High School | Wells | 900 | Non-transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Apostolic Christian Church | Wells | 800 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Norwell Middle School | Wells | 720 | Non-transient non-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, “Bluffton Utilities Water Dept, PWSID IN5290001, Indiana”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/indiana/bluffton-utilities-water-dept-in5290001 (data as of October 1, 2026).