Public water system · KY0480028
ActiveBenham Water Plant
At a glance
Benham Water Plant (PWSID KY0480028) is an active community water system in Harlan County, Kentucky. It reports serving 855 people through 314 service connections. Its primary water source is surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in May 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
855
Service connections
314
Primary source
SW
Surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Benham Water Plant compare with other water systems in Harlan County?
By EPA's size categories, Benham Water Plant is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Harlan County has 17 active public water systems. Its population served is about half of the county average of 1,611 people per system, and accounts for 3.1% of the 27,378 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Kentucky, the 437 active systems average 11,699 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Benham Water Plant 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. Kentucky has 371 active community water systems, 85% of the state's 437 active systems. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs. 135 Kentucky systems (31%) list surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Benham Water Plant?
EPA lists Benham Water Plant as owned by a local government. The KY state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 10 of the 17 active systems in Harlan County (59%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Benham Water Plant have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in May 2025. The violations listed here began between September 2020 and May 2025. By type: 10 monitoring and reporting, 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other and 1 required treatment not met. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Surface Water Treatment Rule (5 of them). EPA lists 10 as resolved and 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-27 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2025-03-27 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique No Certif. Operator · code 12 | Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rulecode 0400 | Yes | Unaddressed |
| 2021-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Filter) · code 36 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | No | Resolved |
| 2021-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Turbidity (Enhanced SWTR) · code 38 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-12-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Filter) · code 36 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-12-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Turbidity (Enhanced SWTR) · code 38 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-11-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Turbidity (Enhanced SWTR) · code 38 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-11-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Filter) · code 36 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Turbidity (Enhanced SWTR) · code 38 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Filter) · code 36 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-09-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Filter) · code 36 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-09-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Turbidity (Enhanced SWTR) · code 38 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | 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.
Benham Water Plant: frequently asked questions
Who runs Benham Water Plant?
Benham Water Plant (PWSID KY0480028) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the KY state drinking water program.
How many people does Benham Water Plant serve?
Benham Water Plant reports serving 855 people through 314 service connections in Harlan County, Kentucky.
Where does Benham Water Plant get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as surface water. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs.
Does Benham Water Plant have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in May 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 Benham Water Plant'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, one is health-based, and the most recent began in May 2025. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the KY state drinking water program.
Where can I find Benham Water Plant's water quality report?
As a community water system, Benham Water Plant 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 Harlan County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harlan Municipal Water Works | Harlan | 4,574 | Community | Surface water |
| Cawood Water District | Harlan | 4,428 | Community | Surface water |
| Evarts Municipal Water Plant | Harlan | 3,059 | Community | Groundwater under influence of surface water |
| Cumberland Municipal Water Works | Harlan | 2,843 | Community | Surface water |
| Black Mtn Utility/Dayhoit | Harlan | 1,954 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Black Mtn Utility/Rosspoint | Harlan | 1,889 | 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, “Benham Water Plant, PWSID KY0480028, Kentucky”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/kentucky/benham-water-plant-ky0480028 (data as of October 1, 2026).