Public water system · 083890016
ActiveLittle Shell
At a glance
Little Shell (PWSID 083890016) is an active community water system in North Dakota. It reports serving 1,500 people through 371 service connections. Its primary water source is purchased groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by the federal government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2023.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
1,500
Service connections
371
Primary source
GWP
Purchased groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Little Shell compare with other water systems in North Dakota?
By EPA's size categories, Little Shell is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Across North Dakota, the 403 active systems average 1,864 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Little Shell 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. North Dakota has 317 active community water systems, 79% of the state's 403 active systems. Purchased groundwater means the system buys groundwater from another public water system rather than drawing its own. 114 North Dakota systems (28%) list purchased groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Little Shell?
EPA lists Little Shell as owned by the federal government. The EPA Region 08 is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Does Little Shell have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2023. The violations listed here began between May 2013 and January 2023. By type: 10 monitoring and reporting and 2 monitoring. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (5 of them). EPA lists 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-01-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2019-01-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-12-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-09-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-08-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Repeat Major (TCR) · code 25 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-03-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingInitial Tap Sampling for Pb and Cu · code 51 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2013-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingInitial Tap Sampling for Pb and Cu · code 51 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2013-05-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | 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.
Little Shell: frequently asked questions
Who runs Little Shell?
Little Shell (PWSID 083890016) is a community water system owned by the federal government. It is regulated by the EPA Region 08.
How many people does Little Shell serve?
Little Shell reports serving 1,500 people through 371 service connections in North Dakota.
Where does Little Shell get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as purchased groundwater. Purchased groundwater means the system buys groundwater from another public water system rather than drawing its own.
Does Little Shell have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2023. 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 Little Shell'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, none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2023. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the EPA Region 08.
Where can I find Little Shell's water quality report?
As a community water system, Little Shell 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 North Dakota
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fargo City of | Cass | 120,762 | Community | Surface water |
| Bismarck City of | Burleigh | 72,417 | Community | Groundwater under influence of surface water |
| Grand Forks Regional WTP | Grand Forks | 57,339 | Community | Surface water |
| Minot City of | Ward | 48,743 | Community | Groundwater |
| West Fargo City of | Cass | 34,858 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Williston City of | Williams | 26,426 | Community | Surface water |
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, “Little Shell, PWSID 083890016, North Dakota”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/north-dakota/little-shell-083890016 (data as of October 1, 2026).