Public water system · NE3103704
ActiveHowells, Village of
At a glance
Village of Howells (PWSID NE3103704) is an active community water system in Colfax County, Nebraska. It reports serving 567 people through 340 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 11 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2024.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
567
Service connections
340
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Village of Howells compare with other water systems in Colfax County?
By EPA's size categories, Village of Howells is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Colfax County has 10 active public water systems, and Village of Howells is the 3rd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 34% below the county average of 860 people per system, and accounts for 6.6% of the 8,599 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Nebraska, the 1,226 active systems average 1,472 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Village of Howells 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. Nebraska has 599 active community water systems, 49% of the state's 1,226 active systems. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 1,095 Nebraska systems (89%) list groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Village of Howells?
EPA lists Village of Howells as owned by a local government. The NE state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 7 of the 10 active systems in Colfax County (70%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Village of Howells have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 11 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2024. The violations listed here began between January 2009 and October 2024. By type: 11 contaminant level above the legal limit and 1 reporting. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (10 of them). EPA lists 11 as resolved and 1 as unaddressed. 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. Unaddressed means the violation is not resolved or archived and is not yet covered by formal enforcement.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-10-17 | ReportingLSL Reporting · code 4G | Lead and Copper Rule Revisionscode 5200 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2022-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Nitrate-Nitritecode 1038 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2016-01-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2015-12-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2015-11-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2013-12-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2012-06-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2011-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2010-11-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2010-01-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2009-11-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2009-01-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
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.
Village of Howells: frequently asked questions
Who runs Village of Howells?
Village of Howells (PWSID NE3103704) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the NE state drinking water program.
How many people does Village of Howells serve?
Village of Howells reports serving 567 people through 340 service connections in Colfax County, Nebraska.
Where does Village of Howells 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 Village of Howells have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 11 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2024. 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 Village of Howells' 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, 11 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2024. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the NE state drinking water program.
Where can I find Village of Howells' water quality report?
As a community water system, Village of Howells 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 Colfax County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schuyler, City of | Colfax | 6,547 | Community | Groundwater |
| Clarkson, City of | Colfax | 641 | Community | Groundwater |
| Leigh, Village of | Colfax | 405 | Community | Groundwater |
| Centennial Park | Colfax | 202 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Rogers, Village of | Colfax | 95 | Community | Groundwater |
| The Scalehouse Inc. | Colfax | 50 | Transient non-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, “Howells, Village of, PWSID NE3103704, Nebraska”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/nebraska/howells-village-of-ne3103704 (data as of October 1, 2026).