Public water system · WV3301504
ActiveChester Water Dept.
At a glance
Chester Water Dept. (PWSID WV3301504) is an active community water system in Hancock County, West Virginia. It reports serving 3,220 people through 1,521 service connections. Its primary water source is surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
3,220
Service connections
1,521
Primary source
SW
Surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Chester Water Dept. compare with other water systems in Hancock County?
By EPA's size categories, Chester Water Dept. is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Hancock County has 9 active public water systems, and Chester Water Dept. is the 3rd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 48% above the county average of 2,176 people per system, and accounts for 16% of the 19,588 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across West Virginia, the 791 active systems average 2,032 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Chester Water Dept. is about half of 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. West Virginia has 427 active community water systems, 54% of the state's 791 active systems. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs. 110 West Virginia systems (14%) list surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Chester Water Dept.?
EPA lists Chester Water Dept. as owned by a local government. The WV state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 5 of the 9 active systems in Hancock County (56%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Chester Water Dept. have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2025. The violations listed here began between January 2021 and October 2025. By type: 10 monitoring and reporting, 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other and 1 required treatment not met. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Carbon, total (2 of them). EPA lists 11 as resolved and 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Carbon, totalcode 2920 | No | Archived |
| 2023-12-16 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-11-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique No Certif. Operator · code 12 | Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rulecode 0400 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2021-09-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Resolved |
| 2021-09-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Resolved |
| 2021-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Carbon, totalcode 2920 | No | Resolved |
| 2021-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,1-Dichloroethylenecode 2977 | No | Resolved |
| 2021-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Dichloromethanecode 2964 | No | Resolved |
| 2021-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | trans-1,2-Dichloroethylenecode 2979 | No | Resolved |
| 2021-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzenecode 2378 | No | Resolved |
| 2021-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Benzenecode 2990 | No | Resolved |
| 2021-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Xylenes, Totalcode 2955 | 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.
Chester Water Dept.: frequently asked questions
Who runs Chester Water Dept.?
Chester Water Dept. (PWSID WV3301504) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the WV state drinking water program.
How many people does Chester Water Dept. serve?
Chester Water Dept. reports serving 3,220 people through 1,521 service connections in Hancock County, West Virginia.
Where does Chester Water Dept. get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as surface water. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs.
Does Chester Water Dept. have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2025. 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 Chester Water Dept.'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, one is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2025. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the WV state drinking water program.
Where can I find Chester Water Dept.'s water quality report?
As a community water system, Chester Water Dept. 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 Hancock County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountaineer Park Inc. | Hancock | 5,760 | Non-transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Tomlinson Psd-Newell | Hancock | 4,963 | Community | Groundwater |
| Tomlinson Psd | Hancock | 2,079 | Community | Purchased groundwater |
| Oakland Psd | Hancock | 1,659 | Community | Groundwater |
| New Cumberland, City of | Hancock | 1,326 | Community | Groundwater |
| Oakland Psd Golden Key Acres | Hancock | 506 | Community | Purchased surface water |
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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, “Chester Water Dept., PWSID WV3301504, West Virginia”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/west-virginia/chester-water-dept-wv3301504 (data as of October 1, 2026).