Public water system · MN1740007
ActiveOwatonna
At a glance
Owatonna (PWSID MN1740007) is an active community water system in Steele County, Minnesota. It reports serving 26,430 people through 9,941 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 July 1992.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
26,430
Service connections
9,941
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Owatonna compare with other water systems in Steele County?
By EPA's size categories, Owatonna is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Steele County has 35 active public water systems, and Owatonna is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 26 times the county average of 1,024 people per system, and accounts for 74% 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 Owatonna is about 3.9 times 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 Owatonna?
EPA lists Owatonna 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. 6 of the 35 active systems in Steele County (17%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Owatonna have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 2 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 1992. The violations listed here began between March 1991 and July 1992. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1991-03-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | 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.
Owatonna: frequently asked questions
Who runs Owatonna?
Owatonna (PWSID MN1740007) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the MN state drinking water program.
How many people does Owatonna serve?
Owatonna reports serving 26,430 people through 9,941 service connections in Steele County, Minnesota.
Where does Owatonna 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 Owatonna 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 1992. 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 Owatonna'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 1992. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the MN state drinking water program.
Where can I find Owatonna's water quality report?
As a community water system, Owatonna 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Lazy U Community | Steele | 426 | Community | Groundwater |
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, “Owatonna, PWSID MN1740007, Minnesota”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/minnesota/owatonna-mn1740007 (data as of October 1, 2026).