Public water system · MN1730037
ActiveSauk Centre
At a glance
Sauk Centre (PWSID MN1730037) is an active community water system in Stearns County, Minnesota. It reports serving 4,657 people through 1,726 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 January 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
4,657
Service connections
1,726
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Sauk Centre compare with other water systems in Stearns County?
By EPA's size categories, Sauk Centre is a medium system (3,301 to 10,000 people). Stearns County has 212 active public water systems, and Sauk Centre is the 5th-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 6 times the county average of 783 people per system, and accounts for 2.8% of the 165,903 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 Sauk Centre is about 31% 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 Sauk Centre?
EPA lists Sauk Centre 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. 36 of the 212 active systems in Stearns County (17%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Sauk Centre have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 2 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2025. The violations listed here began between May 1992 and January 2025. By type: 2 monitoring and reporting. The contaminants or rules involved are Lead and Copper Rule and Total coliform bacteria (TCR). EPA lists 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingWater Quality Parameter M/R · code 53 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 1992-05-01 | 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.
Sauk Centre: frequently asked questions
Who runs Sauk Centre?
Sauk Centre (PWSID MN1730037) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the MN state drinking water program.
How many people does Sauk Centre serve?
Sauk Centre reports serving 4,657 people through 1,726 service connections in Stearns County, Minnesota.
Where does Sauk Centre 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 Sauk Centre have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 2 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 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 Sauk Centre'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 January 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 Sauk Centre's water quality report?
As a community water system, Sauk Centre 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 Stearns County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Cloud | Stearns | 71,321 | Community | Surface water |
| Sartell | Stearns | 20,300 | Community | Groundwater |
| Waite Park | Stearns | 8,354 | Community | Groundwater |
| Saint Joseph | Stearns | 7,100 | Community | Groundwater |
| Cold Spring | Stearns | 4,201 | Community | Groundwater |
| Melrose | Stearns | 3,886 | 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, “Sauk Centre, PWSID MN1730037, Minnesota”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/minnesota/sauk-centre-mn1730037 (data as of October 1, 2026).