Public water system · MN1820005
ActiveForest Lake
At a glance
Forest Lake (PWSID MN1820005) is an active community water system in Washington County, Minnesota. It reports serving 11,800 people through 4,291 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 4 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2020.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
11,800
Service connections
4,291
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Forest Lake compare with other water systems in Washington County?
By EPA's size categories, Forest Lake is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Washington County has 192 active public water systems, and Forest Lake is the 6th-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 8.6 times the county average of 1,376 people per system, and accounts for 4.5% of the 264,205 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 Forest Lake is about 76% 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 Forest Lake?
EPA lists Forest Lake 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. 40 of the 192 active systems in Washington County (21%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Forest Lake have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 4 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2020. The violations listed here began between December 1998 and October 2020. By type: 4 monitoring and reporting. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Lead and Copper Rule (2 of them). EPA lists 3 as resolved and 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2019-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2007-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 1998-12-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
All 4 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.
Forest Lake: frequently asked questions
Who runs Forest Lake?
Forest Lake (PWSID MN1820005) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the MN state drinking water program.
How many people does Forest Lake serve?
Forest Lake reports serving 11,800 people through 4,291 service connections in Washington County, Minnesota.
Where does Forest Lake 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 Forest Lake have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 4 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in October 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 Forest Lake'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 4 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2020. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the MN state drinking water program.
Where can I find Forest Lake's water quality report?
As a community water system, Forest Lake 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 Washington County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodbury | Washington | 82,643 | Community | Groundwater |
| Cottage Grove | Washington | 42,760 | Community | Groundwater |
| Oakdale | Washington | 30,144 | Community | Groundwater |
| Stillwater | Washington | 19,462 | Community | Groundwater |
| Hugo | Washington | 12,047 | Community | Groundwater |
| Lake Elmo | Washington | 10,978 | 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, “Forest Lake, PWSID MN1820005, Minnesota”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/minnesota/forest-lake-mn1820005 (data as of October 1, 2026).