Public water system · OR4100723
ActiveRufus Public Works
At a glance
Rufus Public Works (PWSID OR4100723) is an active community water system in Sherman County, Oregon. It reports serving 270 people through 125 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, none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
270
Service connections
125
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Rufus Public Works compare with other water systems in Sherman County?
By EPA's size categories, Rufus Public Works is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Sherman County has 12 active public water systems, and Rufus Public Works is the 4th-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 13% below the county average of 309 people per system, and accounts for 7.3% of the 3,709 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Oregon, the 2,536 active systems average 1,587 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Rufus Public Works 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. Oregon has 940 active community water systems, 37% of the state's 2,536 active systems. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 2,175 Oregon systems (86%) list groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Rufus Public Works?
EPA lists Rufus Public Works as owned by a local government. The OR state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 6 of the 12 active systems in Sherman County (50%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Rufus Public Works have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2025. The violations listed here began between October 2016 and July 2025. By type: 11 monitoring and reporting and 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Nitrate (4 of them). EPA lists 7 as resolved and 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 2025-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-12-01 | Monitoring and reportingFailure to Conduct Assessment Monitoring · code 19 | Coliphagecode 3028 | No | Archived |
| 2024-11-01 | Monitoring and reportingFailure to Conduct Assessment Monitoring · code 19 | Coliphagecode 3028 | No | Archived |
| 2024-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingFailure to Conduct Assessment Monitoring · code 19 | Coliphagecode 3028 | No | Archived |
| 2023-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2021-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | No | Archived |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000 | No | Archived |
| 2016-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | No | Resolved |
| 2016-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000 | 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.
Rufus Public Works: frequently asked questions
Who runs Rufus Public Works?
Rufus Public Works (PWSID OR4100723) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the OR state drinking water program.
How many people does Rufus Public Works serve?
Rufus Public Works reports serving 270 people through 125 service connections in Sherman County, Oregon.
Where does Rufus Public Works 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 Rufus Public Works 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 July 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 Rufus Public Works' 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 July 2025. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the OR state drinking water program.
Where can I find Rufus Public Works' water quality report?
As a community water system, Rufus Public Works 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 Sherman County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biggs Service District | Sherman | 1,600 | Non-transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Wasco, City of | Sherman | 460 | Community | Groundwater |
| Moro, City of | Sherman | 350 | Community | Groundwater |
| Sherman County School | Sherman | 240 | Non-transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Oprd Deschutes River Rec Area | Sherman | 200 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Grass Valley Water System | Sherman | 184 | 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, “Rufus Public Works, PWSID OR4100723, Oregon”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/oregon/rufus-public-works-or4100723 (data as of October 1, 2026).