Public water system · SD4600288

Active

Salem

At a glance

Salem (PWSID SD4600288) is an active community water system in McCook County, South Dakota. It reports serving 1,325 people through 663 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, 5 are health-based, and the most recent began in September 2013.

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

Population served

1,325

Service connections

663

Primary source

Groundwater

System type

CWS

Community water system

System record

PWSIDSD4600288

System typeCommunity water system

Activity statusActive

Population served1,325

Service connections663

Primary water sourceGroundwater

Owner typeLocal government

Primacy agencySD state drinking water program

City servedSalem

StateSouth Dakota

ZIP57058

CountyMcCook County

How does Salem compare with other water systems in McCook County?

By EPA's size categories, Salem is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). McCook County has 6 active public water systems, and Salem is the 2nd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is roughly in line with the county average of 1,228 people per system, and accounts for 18% of the 7,366 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 Salem 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 Salem?

EPA lists Salem 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. 6 of the 6 active systems in McCook County (100%) are also owned by a local government.

Does Salem have drinking water violations?

Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 5 are health-based, and the most recent began in September 2013. The violations listed here began between January 1993 and September 2013. By type: 7 monitoring and reporting and 5 contaminant level above the legal limit. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (3 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
2013-09-01	Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	Yes	Resolved
2013-05-01	Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	Yes	Resolved
2012-07-01	Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	Yes	Resolved
1999-01-01	Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	No	Resolved
1998-07-01	Monitoring and reportingWater Quality Parameter M/R · code 53	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	No	Resolved
1998-01-01	Monitoring and reportingWater Quality Parameter M/R · code 53	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	No	Resolved
1997-01-01	Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02	Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010	Yes	Resolved
1997-01-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Nitratecode 1040	No	Resolved
1996-10-01	Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02	Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010	Yes	Resolved
1994-04-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010	No	Resolved
1994-04-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000	No	Resolved
1993-01-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	1,1-Dichloroethylenecode 2977	No	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.

Salem: frequently asked questions

Who runs Salem?

Salem (PWSID SD4600288) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the SD state drinking water program.

How many people does Salem serve?

Salem reports serving 1,325 people through 663 service connections in McCook County, South Dakota.

Where does Salem 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 Salem have any drinking water violations?

Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 5 are health-based, and the most recent began in September 2013. 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 Salem'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, 5 are health-based, and the most recent began in September 2013. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the SD state drinking water program.

Where can I find Salem's water quality report?

As a community water system, Salem 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 McCook County

Water system	County	Population served	Type	Source
Tm Rural Water District	McCook + 1 more	4,250	Community	Purchased surface water
Canistota	McCook	642	Community	Purchased groundwater
Bridgewater	McCook	511	Community	Purchased surface water
Montrose	McCook	468	Community	Purchased groundwater
Spencer	McCook	170	Community	Purchased surface water

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, “Salem, PWSID SD4600288, South Dakota”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/south-dakota/salem-sd4600288 (data as of October 1, 2026).