Public water system · KS2019302
ActiveColby, City of
At a glance
City of Colby (PWSID KS2019302) is an active community water system in Thomas County, Kansas. It reports serving 5,516 people through 2,609 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, none is health-based, and the most recent began in November 2019.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
5,516
Service connections
2,609
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does City of Colby compare with other water systems in Thomas County?
By EPA's size categories, City of Colby is a medium system (3,301 to 10,000 people). Thomas County has 7 active public water systems, and City of Colby is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 6.3 times the county average of 872 people per system, and accounts for 90% of the 6,104 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Kansas, the 1,041 active systems average 2,800 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so City of Colby is about 18% 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. Kansas has 863 active community water systems, 83% of the state's 1,041 active systems. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 587 Kansas systems (56%) list groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates City of Colby?
EPA lists City of Colby as owned by a local government. The KS state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 3 of the 7 active systems in Thomas County (43%) are also owned by a local government.
Does City of Colby have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in November 2019. The violations listed here began between January 2018 and November 2019. By type: 11 monitoring and reporting and 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminants or rules involved are Public Notice, 1,2-Dichloropropane, Toluene and 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene. EPA lists 12 as resolved. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-11-02 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2018-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,2-Dichloropropanecode 2983 | No | Resolved |
| 2018-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Toluenecode 2991 | No | Resolved |
| 2018-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzenecode 2378 | No | Resolved |
| 2018-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Ethylene dibromide (EDB)code 2946 | No | Resolved |
| 2018-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Benzenecode 2990 | No | Resolved |
| 2018-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Xylenes, Totalcode 2955 | No | Resolved |
| 2018-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Ethylbenzenecode 2992 | No | Resolved |
| 2018-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Styrenecode 2996 | No | Resolved |
| 2018-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | cis-1,2-Dichloroethylenecode 2380 | No | Resolved |
| 2018-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | trans-1,2-Dichloroethylenecode 2979 | No | Resolved |
| 2018-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Trichloroethylenecode 2984 | No | Resolved |
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 Colby: frequently asked questions
Who runs City of Colby?
City of Colby (PWSID KS2019302) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the KS state drinking water program.
How many people does City of Colby serve?
City of Colby reports serving 5,516 people through 2,609 service connections in Thomas County, Kansas.
Where does City of Colby 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 City of Colby 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 November 2019. 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 Colby'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 November 2019. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the KS state drinking water program.
Where can I find City of Colby's water quality report?
As a community water system, City of Colby 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 Thomas County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brewster, City of | Thomas | 290 | Community | Groundwater |
| Rexford, City of | Thomas | 198 | Community | Groundwater |
| Kdot Colby Rest Area Wb 32511 | Thomas | 25 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Kdot Colby Rest Area Eb 32512 | Thomas | 25 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| High Plains Properties LLC | Thomas | 25 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Qwik Fuel LLC | Thomas | 25 | 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, “Colby, City of, PWSID KS2019302, Kansas”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/kansas/colby-city-of-ks2019302 (data as of October 1, 2026).