Public water system · SD4600165
ActiveHoward
At a glance
Howard (PWSID SD4600165) is an active community water system in Miner County, South Dakota. It reports serving 848 people through 493 service connections. Its primary water source is purchased 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 October 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
848
Service connections
493
Primary source
GWP
Purchased groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Howard compare with other water systems in Miner County?
By EPA's size categories, Howard is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Miner County has 2 active public water systems, and Howard is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 81% above the county average of 469 people per system, and accounts for 91% of the 937 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 Howard 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. South Dakota has 510 active community water systems, 73% of the state's 699 active systems. Purchased groundwater means the system buys groundwater from another public water system rather than drawing its own. 100 South Dakota systems (14%) list purchased groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Howard?
EPA lists Howard 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. 2 of the 2 active systems in Miner County (100%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Howard have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2025. The violations listed here began between July 1976 and October 2025. By type: 8 monitoring and reporting and 4 monitoring. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Revised Total Coliform Rule (4 of them). EPA lists 7 as archived and 5 as resolved. 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. 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.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-10-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2025-08-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Archived |
| 2025-08-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Archived |
| 2024-07-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Archived |
| 2024-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Archived |
| 2020-12-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Chlorinecode 0999 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-01-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 1996-12-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Repeat Major (TCR) · code 25 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1996-02-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Repeat Major (TCR) · code 25 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1976-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000 | 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.
Howard: frequently asked questions
Who runs Howard?
Howard (PWSID SD4600165) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the SD state drinking water program.
How many people does Howard serve?
Howard reports serving 848 people through 493 service connections in Miner County, South Dakota.
Where does Howard 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 Howard 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 October 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 Howard'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 October 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 Howard's water quality report?
As a community water system, Howard 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 Miner County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canova | Miner | 89 | 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, “Howard, PWSID SD4600165, South Dakota”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/south-dakota/howard-sd4600165 (data as of October 1, 2026).