Public water system · KY0480178

Active

Harlan Municipal Water Works

At a glance

Harlan Municipal Water Works (PWSID KY0480178) is an active community water system in Harlan County, Kentucky. It reports serving 4,574 people through 1,910 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, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in April 2018.

Dataset updated October 2026 . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.

Population served

4,574

Service connections

1,910

Primary source

Surface water

System type

CWS

Community water system

System record

PWSIDKY0480178

System typeCommunity water system

Activity statusActive

Population served4,574

Service connections1,910

Primary water sourceSurface water

Owner typeLocal government

Primacy agencyKY state drinking water program

City served—

StateKentucky

ZIP—

CountyHarlan County

How does Harlan Municipal Water Works compare with other water systems in Harlan County?

By EPA's size categories, Harlan Municipal Water Works is a medium system (3,301 to 10,000 people). Harlan County has 17 active public water systems, and Harlan Municipal Water Works is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 184% above the county average of 1,611 people per system, and accounts for 17% 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 Harlan Municipal Water Works is about 32% 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 Harlan Municipal Water Works?

EPA lists Harlan Municipal Water Works 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 Harlan Municipal Water Works have drinking water violations?

Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in April 2018. The violations listed here began between January 1993 and April 2018. By type: 10 monitoring and reporting, 1 contaminant level above the legal limit and 1 required treatment not met. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) (3 of them). 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
2018-04-01	Monitoring and reportingFailure Submit IDSE/Subpart V Plan Rpt · code 35	Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950	No	Resolved
2017-04-01	Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02	Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950	Yes	Resolved
2012-07-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27	Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950	No	Resolved
2012-07-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27	Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456	No	Resolved
2002-01-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Asbestoscode 1094	No	Resolved
1994-10-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Nitratecode 1040	No	Resolved
1994-01-01	Required treatment not metTreatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) · code 41	Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200	Yes	Resolved
1993-01-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Trichloroethylenecode 2984	No	Resolved
1993-01-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Carbon tetrachloridecode 2982	No	Resolved
1993-01-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Vinyl chloridecode 2976	No	Resolved
1993-01-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Simazinecode 2037	No	Resolved
1993-01-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipatecode 2035	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.

Harlan Municipal Water Works: frequently asked questions

Who runs Harlan Municipal Water Works?

Harlan Municipal Water Works (PWSID KY0480178) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the KY state drinking water program.

How many people does Harlan Municipal Water Works serve?

Harlan Municipal Water Works reports serving 4,574 people through 1,910 service connections in Harlan County, Kentucky.

Where does Harlan Municipal Water Works 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 Harlan Municipal Water Works have any drinking water violations?

Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in April 2018. 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 Harlan Municipal Water Works' 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, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in April 2018. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the KY state drinking water program.

Where can I find Harlan Municipal Water Works' water quality report?

As a community water system, Harlan Municipal Water Works 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
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
Black Mtn Utility/Wallins	Harlan	1,485	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, “Harlan Municipal Water Works, PWSID KY0480178, Kentucky”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/kentucky/harlan-municipal-water-works-ky0480178 (data as of October 1, 2026).