Public water system · KS2004901
ActiveHoward, City of
At a glance
City of Howard (PWSID KS2004901) is an active community water system in Elk County, Kansas. It reports serving 583 people through 454 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 November 2022.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
583
Service connections
454
Primary source
SWP
Purchased surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does City of Howard compare with other water systems in Elk County?
By EPA's size categories, City of Howard is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Elk County has 6 active public water systems, and City of Howard is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 49% above the county average of 392 people per system, and accounts for 25% of the 2,353 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 Howard 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. Kansas has 863 active community water systems, 83% of the state's 1,041 active systems. Purchased surface water means the system buys surface water from another public water system rather than drawing its own. 278 Kansas systems (27%) list purchased surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates City of Howard?
EPA lists City of Howard 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. 6 of the 6 active systems in Elk County (100%) are also owned by a local government.
Does City of Howard 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 2022. The violations listed here began between September 2014 and November 2022. By type: 11 monitoring and reporting and 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Surface Water Treatment Rule (5 of them). EPA lists 11 as resolved and 1 as archived. 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. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-11-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Filter) · code 36 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | No | Archived |
| 2022-10-31 | Monitoring and reportingLead Consumer Notice · code 66 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Atrazinecode 2050 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Atrazinecode 2050 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Atrazinecode 2050 | No | Resolved |
| 2016-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Atrazinecode 2050 | No | Resolved |
| 2016-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Atrazinecode 2050 | No | Resolved |
| 2015-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-12-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Filter) · code 36 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-11-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Filter) · code 36 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Filter) · code 36 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-09-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Filter) · code 36 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | 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 Howard: frequently asked questions
Who runs City of Howard?
City of Howard (PWSID KS2004901) 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 Howard serve?
City of Howard reports serving 583 people through 454 service connections in Elk County, Kansas.
Where does City of Howard 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 Howard 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 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 City of Howard'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 2022. 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 Howard's water quality report?
As a community water system, City of Howard 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 Elk County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk Co Rwd 2 | Elk | 520 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Elk Co Rwd 1 | Elk | 494 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Moline, City of | Elk | 331 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Longton, City of | Elk | 277 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Grenola, City of | Elk | 148 | Community | Purchased 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, “Howard, City of, PWSID KS2004901, Kansas”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/kansas/howard-city-of-ks2004901 (data as of October 1, 2026).