Public water system · NY1100634
ActiveRipley Hill/Empire Community
At a glance
Ripley Hill/Empire Community (PWSID NY1100634) is an active community water system in Cortland County, New York. It reports serving 64 people through 20 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, one is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2014.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
64
Service connections
20
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Ripley Hill/Empire Community compare with other water systems in Cortland County?
By EPA's size categories, Ripley Hill/Empire Community is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Cortland County has 76 active public water systems. Its population served is well below the county average of 655 people per system, and accounts for 0.1% of the 49,794 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across New York, the 8,167 active systems average 2,374 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Ripley Hill/Empire Community 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. New York has 2,281 active community water systems, 28% of the state's 8,167 active systems. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 7,096 New York systems (87%) list groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Ripley Hill/Empire Community?
EPA lists Ripley Hill/Empire Community as privately owned. The NY state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 59 of the 76 active systems in Cortland County (78%) are also privately owned.
Does Ripley Hill/Empire Community have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2014. The violations listed here began between March 2011 and October 2014. By type: 6 monitoring and reporting, 5 public notice, recordkeeping or other and 1 contaminant level above the legal limit. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (4 of them). EPA lists 10 as resolved, 1 as addressed 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. Addressed means the violation is not resolved or archived and is covered by formal enforcement. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Addressed |
| 2013-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2013-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2013-01-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherOperations Report · code 10 | Not reported | No | Resolved |
| 2012-12-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2012-11-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2012-06-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2011-10-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherOperations Report · code 10 | Not reported | No | Resolved |
| 2011-06-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherOperations Report · code 10 | Not reported | No | Resolved |
| 2011-05-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2011-04-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherOperations Report · code 10 | Not reported | No | Resolved |
| 2011-03-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherOperations Report · code 10 | Not reported | No | 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.
Ripley Hill/Empire Community: frequently asked questions
Who runs Ripley Hill/Empire Community?
Ripley Hill/Empire Community (PWSID NY1100634) is a community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the NY state drinking water program.
How many people does Ripley Hill/Empire Community serve?
Ripley Hill/Empire Community reports serving 64 people through 20 service connections in Cortland County, New York.
Where does Ripley Hill/Empire Community 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 Ripley Hill/Empire Community have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2014. 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 Ripley Hill/Empire Community'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. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2014. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the NY state drinking water program.
Where can I find Ripley Hill/Empire Community's water quality report?
As a community water system, Ripley Hill/Empire Community 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 Cortland County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cortland (C) | Cortland | 20,095 | Community | Groundwater |
| I-81 Comfort Station | Cortland | 7,000 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Homer Village-Newton Water Works | Cortland | 4,368 | Community | Groundwater |
| Cortlandville Town Water | Cortland | 4,300 | Community | Groundwater |
| Labrador-Main (Puffin Bird) | Cortland | 1,500 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Virgil W.D. #1 - Greek Peak Waterworks | Cortland | 1,400 | 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, “Ripley Hill/Empire Community, PWSID NY1100634, New York”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/new-york/ripley-hill-empire-community-ny1100634 (data as of October 1, 2026).