Public water system · MN5160415
ActiveWay of the Wilderness Canoe Outfitters
At a glance
Way of the Wilderness Canoe Outfitters (PWSID MN5160415) is an active transient non-community water system in Cook County, Minnesota. It reports serving 25 people through 5 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as privately owned. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 5 are health-based, and the most recent began in June 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
25
Service connections
5
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
TNCWS
Transient non-community water system
System record
How does Way of the Wilderness Canoe Outfitters compare with other water systems in Cook County?
By EPA's size categories, Way of the Wilderness Canoe Outfitters is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Cook County has 98 active public water systems. Its population served is well below the county average of 85 people per system, and accounts for 0.3% of the 8,349 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Minnesota, the 6,465 active systems average 820 people each. Nationally, the average active transient non-community water system reports serving 144 people, so Way of the Wilderness Canoe Outfitters is well below that figure.
What does “transient non-community water system” mean?
A transient non-community water system serves places where people do not stay long, such as gas stations and campgrounds, and regularly serves at least 25 people a day for at least 60 days a year. Minnesota has 5,008 active transient non-community water systems, 77% 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 Way of the Wilderness Canoe Outfitters?
EPA lists Way of the Wilderness Canoe Outfitters 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. 83 of the 98 active systems in Cook County (85%) are also privately owned.
Does Way of the Wilderness Canoe Outfitters have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 5 are health-based, and the most recent began in June 2025. The violations listed here began between September 2001 and June 2025. By type: 5 required treatment not met, 5 monitoring and reporting and 2 reporting. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Surface Water Treatment Rule (5 of them). EPA lists 8 as resolved and 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-06-15 | ReportingReport Startup Procedures Cert Form (RTCR) · code 4C | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-06-16 | ReportingReport Startup Procedures Cert Form (RTCR) · code 4C | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2015-06-01 | Required treatment not metMonthly Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) · code 44 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2014-06-01 | Required treatment not metMonthly Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) · code 44 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2013-05-01 | Required treatment not metMonthly Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) · code 44 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2011-05-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2009-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2003-08-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) · code 41 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2002-09-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Filter) · code 36 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | No | Archived |
| 2002-08-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) · code 41 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | Yes | Archived |
| 2002-05-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Filter) · code 36 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | No | Archived |
| 2001-09-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Filter) · code 36 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | No | Archived |
The 12 most recent 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.
Way of the Wilderness Canoe Outfitters: frequently asked questions
Who runs Way of the Wilderness Canoe Outfitters?
Way of the Wilderness Canoe Outfitters (PWSID MN5160415) is a transient non-community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the MN state drinking water program.
How many people does Way of the Wilderness Canoe Outfitters serve?
Way of the Wilderness Canoe Outfitters reports serving 25 people through 5 service connections in Cook County, Minnesota.
Where does Way of the Wilderness Canoe Outfitters 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 Way of the Wilderness Canoe Outfitters have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 5 are health-based, and the most recent began in June 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 Way of the Wilderness Canoe Outfitters' 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. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 5 are health-based, and the most recent began in June 2025. For current results, consult EPA ECHO, or the MN state drinking water program.
Where can I find Way of the Wilderness Canoe Outfitters' water quality report?
The annual Consumer Confidence Report requirement applies to community water systems. Way of the Wilderness Canoe Outfitters is a transient non-community water system, so it is not required to publish one; like every public water system, it must notify the people it serves about violations under EPA's public notification rules.
Other water systems in Cook County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Marais | Cook | 1,344 | Community | Surface water |
| Lamb'S Resort and Campground | Cook | 475 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Bluefin Bay | Cook | 435 | Non-transient non-community | Surface water |
| Caribou Highlands Lodge | Cook | 335 | Non-transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Naniboujou Lodge | Cook | 200 | Transient non-community | Groundwater under influence of surface water |
| Americinn of Tofte | Cook | 200 | Transient non-community | Groundwater under influence of surface water |
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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, “Way of the Wilderness Canoe Outfitters, PWSID MN5160415, Minnesota”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/minnesota/way-of-the-wilderness-canoe-outfitters-mn5160415 (data as of October 1, 2026).