Public water system · MN1860005
ActiveBuffalo
At a glance
Buffalo (PWSID MN1860005) is an active community water system in Wright County, Minnesota. It reports serving 16,711 people through 5,568 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list one violation for this system; it is not health-based, and the most recent began in April 1991.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
16,711
Service connections
5,568
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Buffalo compare with other water systems in Wright County?
By EPA's size categories, Buffalo is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Wright County has 126 active public water systems, and Buffalo is the 3rd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 16 times the county average of 1,027 people per system, and accounts for 13% of the 129,374 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Minnesota, the 6,465 active systems average 820 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Buffalo is about 149% above 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. Minnesota has 987 active community water systems, 15% of the state's 6,465 active systems. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 6,261 Minnesota systems (97%) list groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Buffalo?
EPA lists Buffalo as owned by a local government. The MN state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 26 of the 126 active systems in Wright County (21%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Buffalo have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list one violation for this system; it is not health-based, and the most recent began in April 1991. By type: 1 monitoring and reporting. The contaminant or rule involved is Total coliform bacteria (TCR). EPA lists 1 as archived. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
The one violation in EPA's records.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.
Buffalo: frequently asked questions
Who runs Buffalo?
Buffalo (PWSID MN1860005) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the MN state drinking water program.
How many people does Buffalo serve?
Buffalo reports serving 16,711 people through 5,568 service connections in Wright County, Minnesota.
Where does Buffalo 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 Buffalo have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list one violation for this system; it is not health-based, and the most recent began in April 1991. 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 Buffalo'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 one violation for this system; it is not health-based, and the most recent began in April 1991. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the MN state drinking water program.
Where can I find Buffalo's water quality report?
As a community water system, Buffalo 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 Wright County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joint Powers Water Board | Wright | 30,922 | Community | Groundwater |
| Otsego | Wright | 19,000 | Community | Groundwater |
| Monticello | Wright | 15,087 | Community | Groundwater |
| Delano Municipal Utilities | Wright | 6,564 | Community | Groundwater |
| Rockford | Wright | 4,863 | Community | Groundwater |
| Montrose | Wright | 3,899 | Community | Groundwater |
Related pages
Working with water-system records? Pro adds alerts, change history and CSV export ($49/mo); Enterprise adds full national files, the API and an MCP server for AI tools.
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, “Buffalo, PWSID MN1860005, Minnesota”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/minnesota/buffalo-mn1860005 (data as of October 1, 2026).