Public water system · TX2120063
ActiveSouthern Utilities
At a glance
Southern Utilities (PWSID TX2120063) is an active community water system in Smith County, Texas. It reports serving 69,735 people through 23,245 service connections. Its primary water source is purchased surface water, and EPA lists it as privately owned. EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in March 2024.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
69,735
Service connections
23,245
Primary source
SWP
Purchased surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Southern Utilities compare with other water systems in Smith County?
By EPA's size categories, Southern Utilities is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Smith County has 45 active public water systems, and Southern Utilities is the 2nd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 11 times the county average of 6,223 people per system, and accounts for 25% of the 280,017 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Texas, the 7,078 active systems average 4,789 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Southern Utilities is about 10 times 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. Texas has 4,594 active community water systems, 65% of the state's 7,078 active systems. Purchased surface water means the system buys surface water from another public water system rather than drawing its own. 1,192 Texas systems (17%) list purchased surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Southern Utilities?
EPA lists Southern Utilities as privately owned. The TX state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 22 of the 45 active systems in Smith County (49%) are also privately owned.
Does Southern Utilities have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in March 2024. The violations listed here began between June 1991 and March 2024. By type: 6 monitoring and reporting and 2 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (3 of them). EPA lists 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-03-31 | Monitoring and reportingLead Consumer Notice · code 66 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2021-09-18 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 2013-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Chlorinecode 0999 | No | Resolved |
| 2011-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Source Water (GWR) · code 34 | E. colicode 3014 | No | Unaddressed |
| 1992-06-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherNotification, Public · code 06 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1992-06-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1991-06-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Repeat Major (TCR) · code 25 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | 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.
Southern Utilities: frequently asked questions
Who runs Southern Utilities?
Southern Utilities (PWSID TX2120063) is a community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the TX state drinking water program.
How many people does Southern Utilities serve?
Southern Utilities reports serving 69,735 people through 23,245 service connections in Smith County, Texas.
Where does Southern Utilities 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 Southern Utilities have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in March 2024. 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 Southern Utilities' 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 March 2024. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the TX state drinking water program.
Where can I find Southern Utilities' water quality report?
As a community water system, Southern Utilities 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 Smith County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Tyler | Smith | 107,000 | Community | Surface water |
| Lindale Rural WSC | Smith | 14,781 | Community | Groundwater |
| City of Whitehouse | Smith | 9,571 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Walnut Grove WSC | Smith | 8,775 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| City of Lindale | Smith | 6,313 | Community | Groundwater |
| Dean WSC | Smith | 5,907 | Community | Groundwater |
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, “Southern Utilities, PWSID TX2120063, Texas”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/texas/southern-utilities-tx2120063 (data as of October 1, 2026).