Public water system · SD4600311
ActiveSpearfish
At a glance
Spearfish (PWSID SD4600311) is an active community water system in Lawrence County, South Dakota. It reports serving 13,803 people through 4,779 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2013.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
13,803
Service connections
4,779
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Spearfish compare with other water systems in Lawrence County?
By EPA's size categories, Spearfish is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Lawrence County has 73 active public water systems, and Spearfish is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 37 times the county average of 373 people per system, and accounts for 51% of the 27,194 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 Spearfish is about twice 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 Spearfish?
EPA lists Spearfish 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. 10 of the 73 active systems in Lawrence County (14%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Spearfish have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2013. The violations listed here began between July 1976 and January 2013. By type: 8 monitoring and reporting. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Combined Radium (-226 and -228) (2 of them). EPA lists 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-01-12 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Source Water (GWR) · code 34 | E. colicode 3014 | No | Resolved |
| 2001-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | No | Resolved |
| 2001-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000 | No | Resolved |
| 2000-11-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 1995-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 1992-07-01 | 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 8 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.
Spearfish: frequently asked questions
Who runs Spearfish?
Spearfish (PWSID SD4600311) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the SD state drinking water program.
How many people does Spearfish serve?
Spearfish reports serving 13,803 people through 4,779 service connections in Lawrence County, South Dakota.
Where does Spearfish 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 Spearfish have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 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 Spearfish'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 8 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 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 Spearfish's water quality report?
As a community water system, Spearfish 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 Lawrence County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | Lawrence | 2,982 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Deadwood | Lawrence | 1,156 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Whitewood | Lawrence | 879 | Community | Groundwater |
| Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant | Lawrence | 630 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Spearfish Canyon Resort LLC | Lawrence | 492 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Terry Trojan Water District | Lawrence | 400 | 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, “Spearfish, PWSID SD4600311, South Dakota”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/south-dakota/spearfish-sd4600311 (data as of October 1, 2026).