Public water system · MI0005995
ActiveShanty Creek - Watars Association
At a glance
Shanty Creek - Watars Association (PWSID MI0005995) is an active community water system in Antrim County, Michigan. It reports serving 1,250 people through 270 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as privately owned. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
1,250
Service connections
270
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Shanty Creek - Watars Association compare with other water systems in Antrim County?
By EPA's size categories, Shanty Creek - Watars Association is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Antrim County has 111 active public water systems, and Shanty Creek - Watars Association is the 4th-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 6.1 times the county average of 204 people per system, and accounts for 5.5% of the 22,623 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 Shanty Creek - Watars Association 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. Michigan has 1,332 active community water systems, 13% of the state's 10,599 active systems. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 10,214 Michigan systems (96%) list groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Shanty Creek - Watars Association?
EPA lists Shanty Creek - Watars Association as privately owned. 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. 103 of the 111 active systems in Antrim County (93%) are also privately owned.
Does Shanty Creek - Watars Association have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2025. The violations listed here began between December 2010 and January 2025. By type: 8 monitoring and reporting, 3 required treatment not met and 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (8 of them). EPA lists 9 as resolved and 3 as archived. 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. 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.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-01-01 | Required treatment not metWQP Entry Point/Tap Treatment Technique Non-Compliance · code 59 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | Yes | Archived |
| 2024-07-01 | Required treatment not metWQP Entry Point/Tap Treatment Technique Non-Compliance · code 59 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | Yes | Archived |
| 2012-06-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2012-05-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2012-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2012-03-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2012-02-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2012-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2011-12-01 | Required treatment not metPublic Education · code 65 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2011-12-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2011-03-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherOperations Report · code 10 | Not reported | No | Archived |
| 2010-12-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | 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.
Shanty Creek - Watars Association: frequently asked questions
Who runs Shanty Creek - Watars Association?
Shanty Creek - Watars Association (PWSID MI0005995) is a community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the MI state drinking water program.
How many people does Shanty Creek - Watars Association serve?
Shanty Creek - Watars Association reports serving 1,250 people through 270 service connections in Antrim County, Michigan.
Where does Shanty Creek - Watars Association 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 Shanty Creek - Watars Association have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 3 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 Shanty Creek - Watars Association'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, 3 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 MI state drinking water program.
Where can I find Shanty Creek - Watars Association's water quality report?
As a community water system, Shanty Creek - Watars Association 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 Antrim County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mancelona Area Water and Sewer Authority | Antrim | 3,900 | Community | Groundwater |
| Elk Rapids, Village of | Antrim | 1,642 | Community | Groundwater |
| Clam River Dockside Inc. | Antrim | 1,500 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Bellaire, Village of | Antrim | 1,086 | Community | Groundwater |
| Central Lake, Village of | Antrim | 952 | Community | Groundwater |
| Torch Lake Cafe | Antrim | 450 | 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, “Shanty Creek - Watars Association, PWSID MI0005995, Michigan”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/michigan/shanty-creek-watars-association-mi0005995 (data as of October 1, 2026).