Public water system · MN1740004
ActiveHope Water Cooperative
At a glance
Hope Water Cooperative (PWSID MN1740004) is an active community water system in Steele County, Minnesota. It reports serving 50 people through 28 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as privately owned. EPA's records list 2 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
50
Service connections
28
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Hope Water Cooperative compare with other water systems in Steele County?
By EPA's size categories, Hope Water Cooperative is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Steele County has 35 active public water systems. Its population served is well below the county average of 1,024 people per system, and accounts for 0.1% of the 35,842 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 Hope Water Cooperative 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 Hope Water Cooperative?
EPA lists Hope Water Cooperative 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. 26 of the 35 active systems in Steele County (74%) are also privately owned.
Does Hope Water Cooperative have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 2 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2025. The violations listed here began between January 2021 and July 2025. By type: 1 reporting and 1 monitoring and reporting. The contaminants or rules involved are Lead and Copper Rule Revisions and Lead and Copper Rule. EPA lists 1 as unaddressed and 1 as resolved. Unaddressed means the violation is not resolved or archived and is not yet covered by formal enforcement. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-07-02 | ReportingNotification, Known or Potential LSL · code 4H | Lead and Copper Rule Revisionscode 5200 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2021-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingLead Consumer Notice · code 66 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
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.
Hope Water Cooperative: frequently asked questions
Who runs Hope Water Cooperative?
Hope Water Cooperative (PWSID MN1740004) is a community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the MN state drinking water program.
How many people does Hope Water Cooperative serve?
Hope Water Cooperative reports serving 50 people through 28 service connections in Steele County, Minnesota.
Where does Hope Water Cooperative 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 Hope Water Cooperative have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 2 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2025. 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 Hope Water Cooperative'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 July 2025. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the MN state drinking water program.
Where can I find Hope Water Cooperative's water quality report?
As a community water system, Hope Water Cooperative 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 Steele County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owatonna | Steele | 26,430 | Community | Groundwater |
| Blooming Prairie | Steele | 1,987 | Community | Groundwater |
| Straight River Rest Area South Mndot | Steele | 1,893 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Straight River Rest Area North Mndot | Steele | 1,206 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Medford | Steele | 1,200 | Community | Groundwater |
| Ellendale | Steele | 636 | 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, “Hope Water Cooperative, PWSID MN1740004, Minnesota”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/minnesota/hope-water-cooperative-mn1740004 (data as of October 1, 2026).