Public water system · KS2016302
ActivePalco, City of
At a glance
City of Palco (PWSID KS2016302) is an active community water system in Rooks County, Kansas. It reports serving 210 people through 142 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, 7 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
210
Service connections
142
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does City of Palco compare with other water systems in Rooks County?
By EPA's size categories, City of Palco is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Rooks County has 9 active public water systems, and City of Palco is the 4th-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about half of the county average of 451 people per system, and accounts for 5.2% of the 4,062 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 Palco 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. 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 Palco?
EPA lists City of Palco 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. 8 of the 9 active systems in Rooks County (89%) are also owned by a local government.
Does City of Palco have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 7 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2025. The violations listed here began between January 2022 and January 2025. By type: 7 contaminant level above the legal limit, 3 monitoring and reporting and 2 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Nitrate (7 of them). EPA lists 11 as resolved and 1 as unaddressed. 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. Unaddressed means the violation is not resolved or archived and is not yet covered by formal enforcement.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingLead Consumer Notice · code 66 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-01-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample · code 01 | Nitratecode 1040 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2023-12-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Unfilt/GWR) · code 31 | Groundwater Rulecode 0700 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-08-03 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample · code 01 | Nitratecode 1040 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2023-04-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample · code 01 | Nitratecode 1040 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2023-01-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample · code 01 | Nitratecode 1040 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2022-10-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample · code 01 | Nitratecode 1040 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2022-07-25 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2022-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample · code 01 | Nitratecode 1040 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2022-05-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Unfilt/GWR) · code 31 | Groundwater Rulecode 0700 | No | Resolved |
| 2022-01-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample · code 01 | Nitratecode 1040 | Yes | 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 Palco: frequently asked questions
Who runs City of Palco?
City of Palco (PWSID KS2016302) 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 Palco serve?
City of Palco reports serving 210 people through 142 service connections in Rooks County, Kansas.
Where does City of Palco 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 Palco have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 7 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2025. 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 Palco'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, 7 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2025. 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 Palco's water quality report?
As a community water system, City of Palco 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 Rooks County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plainville, City of | Rooks | 1,762 | Community | Groundwater |
| Stockton, City of | Rooks | 1,380 | Community | Groundwater |
| Rooks Co Rwd 3 | Rooks | 380 | Community | Groundwater |
| Damar, City of | Rooks | 115 | Community | Purchased groundwater |
| Woodston, City of | Rooks | 95 | Community | Groundwater |
| Rooks Co Rwd 1 | Rooks | 55 | 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, “Palco, City of, PWSID KS2016302, Kansas”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/kansas/palco-city-of-ks2016302 (data as of October 1, 2026).