Public water system · NE3101906
ActiveKearney, City of
At a glance
City of Kearney (PWSID NE3101906) is an active community water system in Buffalo County, Nebraska. It reports serving 34,000 people through 10,974 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater under influence of surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 10 violations for this system; 9 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2016.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
34,000
Service connections
10,974
Primary source
GU
Groundwater under influence of surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does City of Kearney compare with other water systems in Buffalo County?
By EPA's size categories, City of Kearney is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Buffalo County has 37 active public water systems, and City of Kearney is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 29 times the county average of 1,167 people per system, and accounts for 79% of the 43,180 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 City of Kearney is about 5.1 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. Nebraska has 599 active community water systems, 49% of the state's 1,226 active systems. Groundwater under the influence of surface water is well or spring water that the regulator has found to be affected by nearby surface water, so it is regulated under the surface-water treatment rules. 6 Nebraska systems (0.5%) list groundwater under influence of surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates City of Kearney?
EPA lists City of Kearney 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. 13 of the 37 active systems in Buffalo County (35%) are also owned by a local government.
Does City of Kearney have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 10 violations for this system; 9 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2016. The violations listed here began between March 1991 and July 2016. By type: 9 contaminant level above the legal limit and 1 monitoring and reporting. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (8 of them). EPA lists 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2012-10-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2007-06-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Filter) · code 36 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | No | Resolved |
| 1994-09-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 1994-09-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Acute (TCR) · code 21 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 1993-12-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Acute (TCR) · code 21 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Archived |
| 1993-02-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Archived |
| 1993-01-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Archived |
| 1991-06-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Acute (TCR) · code 21 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Archived |
| 1991-03-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Acute (TCR) · code 21 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
All 10 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.
City of Kearney: frequently asked questions
Who runs City of Kearney?
City of Kearney (PWSID NE3101906) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the NE state drinking water program.
How many people does City of Kearney serve?
City of Kearney reports serving 34,000 people through 10,974 service connections in Buffalo County, Nebraska.
Where does City of Kearney get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as groundwater under influence of surface water. Groundwater under the influence of surface water is well or spring water that the regulator has found to be affected by nearby surface water, so it is regulated under the surface-water treatment rules.
Does City of Kearney have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 10 violations for this system; 9 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2016. 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 City of Kearney'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 10 violations for this system; 9 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2016. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the NE state drinking water program.
Where can I find City of Kearney's water quality report?
As a community water system, City of Kearney 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 Buffalo County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gibbon, City of | Buffalo | 1,878 | Community | Groundwater |
| Ravenna, City of | Buffalo | 1,457 | Community | Groundwater |
| Shelton, Village of | Buffalo | 1,059 | Community | Groundwater |
| Elm Creek, Village of | Buffalo | 901 | Community | Groundwater |
| Cornerstone Berean Church | Buffalo | 475 | Non-transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Buffalo Co Sid 3 - Glenwood Estates | Buffalo | 400 | 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, “Kearney, City of, PWSID NE3101906, Nebraska”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/nebraska/kearney-city-of-ne3101906 (data as of October 1, 2026).