Public water system · MI0005950

Active

Sault Ste Marie

At a glance

Sault Ste Marie (PWSID MI0005950) is an active community water system in Chippewa County, Michigan. It reports serving 14,689 people through 5,104 service connections. Its primary water source is surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in April 2020.

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

Population served

14,689

Service connections

5,104

Primary source

Surface water

System type

CWS

Community water system

System record

PWSIDMI0005950

System typeCommunity water system

Activity statusActive

Population served14,689

Service connections5,104

Primary water sourceSurface water

Owner typeLocal government

Primacy agencyMI state drinking water program

City servedSault Ste. Marie

StateMichigan

ZIP—

CountyChippewa County

How does Sault Ste Marie compare with other water systems in Chippewa County?

By EPA's size categories, Sault Ste Marie is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Chippewa County has 134 active public water systems, and Sault Ste Marie is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 51 times the county average of 291 people per system, and accounts for 38% of the 38,970 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 Sault Ste Marie is about twice 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. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs. 68 Michigan systems (0.6%) list surface water as their primary source.

Who owns and regulates Sault Ste Marie?

EPA lists Sault Ste Marie 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. 5 of the 134 active systems in Chippewa County (3.7%) are also owned by a local government.

Does Sault Ste Marie have drinking water violations?

EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in April 2020. The violations listed here began between October 2019 and April 2020. By type: 6 monitoring and reporting, 1 required treatment not met and 1 reporting. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Haloacetic acids (HAA5) (2 of them). EPA lists 8 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
2020-04-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27	Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456	No	Resolved
2020-04-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27	Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950	No	Resolved
2020-03-09	Required treatment not metTreatment Technique No Certif. Operator · code 12	Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rulecode 0400	Yes	Resolved
2020-02-11	ReportingReport Sample Result/Fail Monitor (RTCR) · code 4B	Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000	No	Resolved
2020-01-01	Monitoring and reportingWater Quality Parameter M/R · code 53	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	No	Resolved
2019-10-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27	Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456	No	Resolved
2019-10-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27	Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950	No	Resolved
2019-10-01	Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	No	Resolved

All 8 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.

Sault Ste Marie: frequently asked questions

Who runs Sault Ste Marie?

Sault Ste Marie (PWSID MI0005950) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the MI state drinking water program.

How many people does Sault Ste Marie serve?

Sault Ste Marie reports serving 14,689 people through 5,104 service connections in Chippewa County, Michigan.

Where does Sault Ste Marie 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 Sault Ste Marie have any drinking water violations?

EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in April 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 Sault Ste Marie'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 8 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in April 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 Sault Ste Marie's water quality report?

As a community water system, Sault Ste Marie 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 Chippewa County

Water system	County	Population served	Type	Source
Kinross Township	Chippewa	5,300	Community	Groundwater
Dnr - Tahq. Falls St. Pk. Upper Day Use	Chippewa	2,400	Transient non-community	Groundwater
Dnr - Tahq. Falls St. Pk., Lwr Falls	Chippewa	872	Transient non-community	Groundwater
Superior Township	Chippewa	767	Community	Groundwater
Usfs - Point Iroquois-Restroom	Chippewa	650	Transient non-community	Groundwater
Usfs - Point Iroquois Lighthouse	Chippewa	650	Transient non-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, “Sault Ste Marie, PWSID MI0005950, Michigan”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/michigan/sault-ste-marie-mi0005950 (data as of October 1, 2026).