Public water system · MN1420002
ActiveCottonwood
At a glance
Cottonwood (PWSID MN1420002) is an active community water system in Lyon County, Minnesota. It reports serving 1,212 people through 679 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 9 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2021.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
1,212
Service connections
679
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Cottonwood compare with other water systems in Lyon County?
By EPA's size categories, Cottonwood is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Lyon County has 16 active public water systems, and Cottonwood is the 4th-largest of them by population served. Its population served is roughly in line with the county average of 1,315 people per system, and accounts for 5.8% of the 21,039 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 Cottonwood 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. 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 Cottonwood?
EPA lists Cottonwood 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. 13 of the 16 active systems in Lyon County (81%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Cottonwood have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 9 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2021. The violations listed here began between July 1992 and January 2021. By type: 9 monitoring and reporting. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (7 of them). EPA lists 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingLead Consumer Notice · code 66 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Chlorinecode 0999 | No | Resolved |
| 2002-08-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 2000-12-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1995-09-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1995-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1993-09-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1993-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1992-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
All 9 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.
Cottonwood: frequently asked questions
Who runs Cottonwood?
Cottonwood (PWSID MN1420002) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the MN state drinking water program.
How many people does Cottonwood serve?
Cottonwood reports serving 1,212 people through 679 service connections in Lyon County, Minnesota.
Where does Cottonwood 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 Cottonwood have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 9 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2021. 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 Cottonwood'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 9 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2021. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the MN state drinking water program.
Where can I find Cottonwood's water quality report?
As a community water system, Cottonwood 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 Lyon County
Related pages
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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, “Cottonwood, PWSID MN1420002, Minnesota”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/minnesota/cottonwood-mn1420002 (data as of October 1, 2026).