Public water system · SD4602310
ActiveOwanka Rural Water System
At a glance
Owanka Rural Water System (PWSID SD4602310) is an active community water system in Pennington County, South Dakota. It reports serving 52 people through 23 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as privately owned. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 12 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2020.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
52
Service connections
23
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Owanka Rural Water System compare with other water systems in Pennington County?
By EPA's size categories, Owanka Rural Water System is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Pennington County has 150 active public water systems. Its population served is well below the county average of 930 people per system, and accounts for less than 0.1% 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 Owanka Rural Water System 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. 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 Owanka Rural Water System?
EPA lists Owanka Rural Water System as privately owned. 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. 134 of the 150 active systems in Pennington County (89%) are also privately owned.
Does Owanka Rural Water System have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 12 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2020. The violations listed here began between January 2018 and October 2020. By type: 12 contaminant level above the legal limit. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Combined Radium (-226 and -228) (12 of them). EPA lists 12 as resolved. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-10-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2020-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2020-04-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2020-01-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2019-10-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2019-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2019-04-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2019-01-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2018-10-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2018-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2018-04-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2018-01-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | 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.
Owanka Rural Water System: frequently asked questions
Who runs Owanka Rural Water System?
Owanka Rural Water System (PWSID SD4602310) is a community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the SD state drinking water program.
How many people does Owanka Rural Water System serve?
Owanka Rural Water System reports serving 52 people through 23 service connections in Pennington County, South Dakota.
Where does Owanka Rural Water System 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 Owanka Rural Water System 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 October 2020. 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 Owanka Rural Water System'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 October 2020. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the SD state drinking water program.
Where can I find Owanka Rural Water System's water quality report?
As a community water system, Owanka Rural Water System 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 |
| Box Elder | Pennington | 14,000 | Community | Groundwater |
| 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 |
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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, “Owanka Rural Water System, PWSID SD4602310, South Dakota”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/south-dakota/owanka-rural-water-system-sd4602310 (data as of October 1, 2026).