Public water system · MN1600010
ActiveFosston
At a glance
Fosston (PWSID MN1600010) is an active community water system in Polk County, Minnesota. It reports serving 1,385 people through 672 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 2 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in May 2000.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
1,385
Service connections
672
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Fosston compare with other water systems in Polk County?
By EPA's size categories, Fosston is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Polk County has 60 active public water systems, and Fosston is the 3rd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 3.5 times the county average of 395 people per system, and accounts for 5.8% of the 23,676 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 Fosston 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 Fosston?
EPA lists Fosston 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. 15 of the 60 active systems in Polk County (25%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Fosston have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 2 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in May 2000. The violations listed here began between February 1999 and May 2000. By type: 2 monitoring and reporting. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (2 of them). EPA lists 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-05-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1999-02-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
All 2 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.
Fosston: frequently asked questions
Who runs Fosston?
Fosston (PWSID MN1600010) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the MN state drinking water program.
How many people does Fosston serve?
Fosston reports serving 1,385 people through 672 service connections in Polk County, Minnesota.
Where does Fosston 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 Fosston have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 2 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in May 2000. 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 Fosston'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 2 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in May 2000. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the MN state drinking water program.
Where can I find Fosston's water quality report?
As a community water system, Fosston 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 Polk County
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, “Fosston, PWSID MN1600010, Minnesota”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/minnesota/fosston-mn1600010 (data as of October 1, 2026).