Public water system · SD4600046
ActiveBox Elder
At a glance
Box Elder (PWSID SD4600046) is an active community water system in Pennington County, South Dakota. It reports serving 14,000 people through 4,022 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, 12 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
14,000
Service connections
4,022
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Box Elder compare with other water systems in Pennington County?
By EPA's size categories, Box Elder is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Pennington County has 150 active public water systems, and Box Elder is the 2nd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 15 times the county average of 930 people per system, and accounts for 10% of the 139,467 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across South Dakota, the 699 active systems average 1,387 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Box Elder is about twice 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. South Dakota has 510 active community water systems, 73% of the state's 699 active systems. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 431 South Dakota systems (62%) list groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Box Elder?
EPA lists Box Elder as owned by a local government. The SD state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 12 of the 150 active systems in Pennington County (8%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Box Elder have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 12 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2025. The violations listed here began between July 2008 and July 2025. By type: 12 contaminant level above the legal limit. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium) (7 of them). EPA lists 10 as resolved and 2 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 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000 | Yes | Archived |
| 2025-04-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000 | Yes | Archived |
| 2024-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2022-04-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2022-04-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2022-01-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2022-01-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2021-10-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2021-10-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2008-10-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2008-10-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2008-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000 | 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.
Box Elder: frequently asked questions
Who runs Box Elder?
Box Elder (PWSID SD4600046) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the SD state drinking water program.
How many people does Box Elder serve?
Box Elder reports serving 14,000 people through 4,022 service connections in Pennington County, South Dakota.
Where does Box Elder 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 Box Elder have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 12 are 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 Box Elder'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, 12 are 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 SD state drinking water program.
Where can I find Box Elder's water quality report?
As a community water system, Box Elder 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 Pennington County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid City | Pennington | 72,009 | Community | Surface water |
| Rapid Valley Sanitary District | Pennington | 11,408 | Community | Surface water |
| Ellsworth Afb | Pennington | 9,100 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Nps-Mount Rushmore National Memorial | Pennington | 4,100 | Non-transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Colonial Pine Hills Sanitary Distric | Pennington | 1,200 | Community | Groundwater |
| Chapel Lane Water Company | Pennington | 1,200 | 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, “Box Elder, PWSID SD4600046, South Dakota”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/south-dakota/box-elder-sd4600046 (data as of October 1, 2026).