Public water system · MI0001800
ActiveDetroit City of
At a glance
City of Detroit (PWSID MI0001800) is an active community water system in Wayne County, Michigan. It reports serving 633,218 people through 237,000 service connections. Its primary water source is purchased surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 7 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2020.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
633,218
Service connections
237,000
Primary source
SWP
Purchased surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does City of Detroit compare with other water systems in Wayne County?
By EPA's size categories, City of Detroit is a very large system (more than 100,000 people). Wayne County has 55 active public water systems, and City of Detroit is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 20 times the county average of 32,428 people per system, and accounts for 36% of the 1,783,512 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Michigan, the 10,599 active systems average 847 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so City of Detroit is about 94 times 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. Michigan has 1,332 active community water systems, 13% of the state's 10,599 active systems. Purchased surface water means the system buys surface water from another public water system rather than drawing its own. 262 Michigan systems (2.5%) list purchased surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates City of Detroit?
EPA lists City of Detroit as owned by a local government. The MI state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 44 of the 55 active systems in Wayne County (80%) are also owned by a local government.
Does City of Detroit have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 7 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2020. The violations listed here began between April 1991 and July 2020. By type: 6 monitoring and reporting and 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (6 of them). EPA lists 5 as archived and 2 as resolved. 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. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 1998-06-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Repeat Major (TCR) · code 25 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 1995-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Repeat Minor (TCR) · code 26 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1995-03-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Repeat Major (TCR) · code 25 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1995-02-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Repeat Major (TCR) · code 25 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1991-12-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1991-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Repeat Minor (TCR) · code 26 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
All 7 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 Detroit: frequently asked questions
Who runs City of Detroit?
City of Detroit (PWSID MI0001800) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the MI state drinking water program.
How many people does City of Detroit serve?
City of Detroit reports serving 633,218 people through 237,000 service connections in Wayne County, Michigan.
Where does City of Detroit 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 Detroit have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 7 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2020. 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 Detroit'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. EPA's records list 7 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2020. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the MI state drinking water program.
Where can I find City of Detroit's water quality report?
As a community water system, City of Detroit 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 Wayne County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dearborn | Wayne | 109,976 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Canton Township | Wayne | 99,627 | Community | Surface water |
| Livonia | Wayne | 96,942 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Westland | Wayne | 85,420 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Taylor | Wayne | 63,409 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Dearborn Heights | Wayne | 57,774 | 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, “Detroit City of, PWSID MI0001800, Michigan”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/michigan/detroit-city-of-mi0001800 (data as of October 1, 2026).