Public water system · SD4600194
ActiveLeola
At a glance
Leola (PWSID SD4600194) is an active community water system in McPherson County, South Dakota. It reports serving 434 people through 280 service connections. Its primary water source is purchased surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 11 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in June 2023.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
434
Service connections
280
Primary source
SWP
Purchased surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Leola compare with other water systems in McPherson County?
By EPA's size categories, Leola is a very small system (500 people or fewer). McPherson County has 2 active public water systems, and Leola is the 2nd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 30% below the county average of 624 people per system, and accounts for 35% of the 1,247 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 Leola 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 surface water means the system buys surface water from another public water system rather than drawing its own. 142 South Dakota systems (20%) list purchased surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Leola?
EPA lists Leola 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 McPherson County (100%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Leola have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 11 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in June 2023. The violations listed here began between July 1976 and June 2023. By type: 6 monitoring and reporting, 3 required treatment not met, 1 monitoring and 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Revised Total Coliform Rule (2 of them). EPA lists 7 as resolved, 3 as archived 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. 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. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-06-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-05-04 | Required treatment not metFailure To Address Deficiency · code 45 | Groundwater Rulecode 0700 | Yes | Unaddressed |
| 2023-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Chlorinecode 0999 | No | Resolved |
| 2019-12-27 | Required treatment not metFailure To Address Deficiency · code 45 | Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0800 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2016-04-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherSample Siting Plan Errors (RTCR) · code 5A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2011-02-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique No Certif. Operator · code 12 | Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rulecode 0400 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2011-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Chlorinecode 0999 | No | Resolved |
| 1995-08-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | 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 |
| 1976-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | No | Archived |
All 11 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.
Leola: frequently asked questions
Who runs Leola?
Leola (PWSID SD4600194) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the SD state drinking water program.
How many people does Leola serve?
Leola reports serving 434 people through 280 service connections in McPherson County, South Dakota.
Where does Leola get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as purchased surface water. Purchased surface water means the system buys surface water from another public water system rather than drawing its own.
Does Leola have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 11 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in June 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 Leola'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. EPA's records list 11 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in June 2023. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the SD state drinking water program.
Where can I find Leola's water quality report?
As a community water system, Leola 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 McPherson County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eureka | McPherson | 813 | Community | Purchased 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, “Leola, PWSID SD4600194, South Dakota”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/south-dakota/leola-sd4600194 (data as of October 1, 2026).