Public water system · MN5160356
ActiveCliff Dweller
At a glance
Cliff Dweller (PWSID MN5160356) is an active transient non-community water system in Cook County, Minnesota. It reports serving 68 people through 25 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater under influence of surface water, and EPA lists it as privately owned. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 11 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2026.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
68
Service connections
25
Primary source
GU
Groundwater under influence of surface water
System type
TNCWS
Transient non-community water system
System record
How does Cliff Dweller compare with other water systems in Cook County?
By EPA's size categories, Cliff Dweller is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Cook County has 98 active public water systems. Its population served is about 20% below the county average of 85 people per system, and accounts for 0.8% of the 8,349 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Minnesota, the 6,465 active systems average 820 people each. Nationally, the average active transient non-community water system reports serving 144 people, so Cliff Dweller is about half of that figure.
What does “transient non-community water system” mean?
A transient non-community water system serves places where people do not stay long, such as gas stations and campgrounds, and regularly serves at least 25 people a day for at least 60 days a year. Minnesota has 5,008 active transient non-community water systems, 77% of the state's 6,465 active systems. Groundwater under the influence of surface water is well or spring water that the regulator has found to be affected by nearby surface water, so it is regulated under the surface-water treatment rules. 17 Minnesota systems (0.3%) list groundwater under influence of surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Cliff Dweller?
EPA lists Cliff Dweller as privately owned. 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. 83 of the 98 active systems in Cook County (85%) are also privately owned.
Does Cliff Dweller have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 11 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2026. The violations listed here began between December 2024 and January 2026. By type: 11 required treatment not met and 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-01 | Required treatment not metMonthly Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) · code 44 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2025-12-01 | Required treatment not metMonthly Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) · code 44 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2025-10-01 | Required treatment not metMonthly Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) · code 44 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2025-07-01 | Required treatment not metMonthly Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) · code 44 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2025-06-01 | Required treatment not metMonthly Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) · code 44 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2025-05-01 | Required treatment not metMonthly Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) · code 44 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2025-04-01 | Required treatment not metMonthly Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) · code 44 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2025-03-01 | Required treatment not metMonthly Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) · code 44 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2025-02-11 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2025-02-01 | Required treatment not metMonthly Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) · code 44 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2025-01-01 | Required treatment not metMonthly Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) · code 44 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2024-12-01 | Required treatment not metMonthly Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) · code 44 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | Yes | 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.
Cliff Dweller: frequently asked questions
Who runs Cliff Dweller?
Cliff Dweller (PWSID MN5160356) is a transient non-community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the MN state drinking water program.
How many people does Cliff Dweller serve?
Cliff Dweller reports serving 68 people through 25 service connections in Cook County, Minnesota.
Where does Cliff Dweller get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as groundwater under influence of surface water. Groundwater under the influence of surface water is well or spring water that the regulator has found to be affected by nearby surface water, so it is regulated under the surface-water treatment rules.
Does Cliff Dweller have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 11 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2026. 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 Cliff Dweller'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, 11 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2026. For current results, consult EPA ECHO, or the MN state drinking water program.
Where can I find Cliff Dweller's water quality report?
The annual Consumer Confidence Report requirement applies to community water systems. Cliff Dweller is a transient non-community water system, so it is not required to publish one; like every public water system, it must notify the people it serves about violations under EPA's public notification rules.
Other water systems in Cook County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Marais | Cook | 1,344 | Community | Surface water |
| Lamb'S Resort and Campground | Cook | 475 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Bluefin Bay | Cook | 435 | Non-transient non-community | Surface water |
| Caribou Highlands Lodge | Cook | 335 | Non-transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Naniboujou Lodge | Cook | 200 | Transient non-community | Groundwater under influence of surface water |
| Americinn of Tofte | Cook | 200 | Transient non-community | Groundwater under influence of surface water |
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, “Cliff Dweller, PWSID MN5160356, Minnesota”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/minnesota/cliff-dweller-mn5160356 (data as of October 1, 2026).