Public water system · SD4600204

Active

Mellette

At a glance

Mellette (PWSID SD4600204) is an active community water system in Spink County, South Dakota. It reports serving 205 people through 118 service connections. Its primary water source is purchased surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 10 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in August 2009.

Dataset updated October 2026 . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.

Population served

205

Service connections

118

Primary source

SWP

Purchased surface water

System type

CWS

Community water system

System record

PWSIDSD4600204

System typeCommunity water system

Activity statusActive

Population served205

Service connections118

Primary water sourcePurchased surface water

Owner typeLocal government

Primacy agencySD state drinking water program

City servedRedfield

StateSouth Dakota

ZIP57469

CountySpink County

How does Mellette compare with other water systems in Spink County?

By EPA's size categories, Mellette is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Spink County has 10 active public water systems, and Mellette is the 3rd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 41% below the county average of 349 people per system, and accounts for 5.9% of the 3,485 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 Mellette 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 Mellette?

EPA lists Mellette 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. 7 of the 10 active systems in Spink County (70%) are also owned by a local government.

Does Mellette have drinking water violations?

EPA's records list 10 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in August 2009. The violations listed here began between July 1976 and August 2009. By type: 6 monitoring and reporting, 3 public notice, recordkeeping or other and 1 required treatment not met. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Lead and Copper Rule (4 of them). EPA lists 8 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
2009-08-01	Required treatment not metTreatment Technique No Certif. Operator · code 12	Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rulecode 0400	Yes	Resolved
2008-10-01	Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72	Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000	No	Resolved
2007-07-01	Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71	Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000	No	Resolved
2001-07-01	Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71	Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000	No	Resolved
1995-07-01	Monitoring and reportingInitial Tap Sampling for Pb and Cu · code 51	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	No	Resolved
1995-01-01	Monitoring and reportingInitial Tap Sampling for Pb and Cu · code 51	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	No	Resolved
1994-07-01	Monitoring and reportingInitial Tap Sampling for Pb and Cu · code 51	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	No	Resolved
1994-01-01	Monitoring and reportingInitial Tap Sampling for Pb and Cu · code 51	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	No	Resolved
1976-07-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010	No	Archived
1976-07-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000	No	Archived

All 10 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.

Mellette: frequently asked questions

Who runs Mellette?

Mellette (PWSID SD4600204) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the SD state drinking water program.

How many people does Mellette serve?

Mellette reports serving 205 people through 118 service connections in Spink County, South Dakota.

Where does Mellette 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 Mellette have any drinking water violations?

EPA's records list 10 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in August 2009. 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 Mellette'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 10 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in August 2009. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the SD state drinking water program.

Where can I find Mellette's water quality report?

As a community water system, Mellette 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 Spink County

Water system	County	Population served	Type	Source
Redfield	Spink	2,214	Community	Purchased surface water
Tulare	Spink	211	Community	Purchased surface water
Doland	Spink	199	Community	Purchased surface water
Northville	Spink	143	Community	Purchased surface water
Conde	Spink	142	Community	Purchased surface water
Spink Colony	Spink	108	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, “Mellette, PWSID SD4600204, South Dakota”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/south-dakota/mellette-sd4600204 (data as of October 1, 2026).