Public water system · WV3303401
ActiveRichwood Water Dept
At a glance
Richwood Water Dept (PWSID WV3303401) is an active community water system in Nicholas County, West Virginia. It reports serving 2,480 people through 1,046 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 February 2026.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
2,480
Service connections
1,046
Primary source
SW
Surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Richwood Water Dept compare with other water systems in Nicholas County?
By EPA's size categories, Richwood Water Dept is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Nicholas County has 9 active public water systems, and Richwood Water Dept is the 5th-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 10% below the county average of 2,761 people per system, and accounts for 10% of the 24,847 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 Richwood Water Dept is about 63% 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. 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 Richwood Water Dept?
EPA lists Richwood 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. 6 of the 9 active systems in Nicholas County (67%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Richwood 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 February 2026. The violations listed here began between May 2025 and February 2026. By type: 9 public notice, recordkeeping or other, 2 monitoring and reporting and 1 required treatment not met. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Public Notice (7 of them). EPA lists 12 as unaddressed. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-13 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2026-02-13 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2026-02-13 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2026-02-13 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2026-01-15 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2026-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2025-10-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2025-09-12 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2025-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2025-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2025-07-01 | Required treatment not metOCCT/SOWT Study/Recommendation · code 57 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | Yes | Unaddressed |
| 2025-05-15 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Unaddressed |
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.
Richwood Water Dept: frequently asked questions
Who runs Richwood Water Dept?
Richwood Water Dept (PWSID WV3303401) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the WV state drinking water program.
How many people does Richwood Water Dept serve?
Richwood Water Dept reports serving 2,480 people through 1,046 service connections in Nicholas County, West Virginia.
Where does Richwood 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 Richwood 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 February 2026. 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 Richwood 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 February 2026. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the WV state drinking water program.
Where can I find Richwood Water Dept's water quality report?
As a community water system, Richwood 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 Nicholas County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilderness Psd | Nicholas | 6,106 | Community | Surface water |
| Summersville Municipal Water | Nicholas | 5,574 | Community | Surface water |
| Craigsville Psd | Nicholas | 4,997 | Community | Surface water |
| Nettie Leivasy Psd | Nicholas | 3,630 | Community | Surface water |
| Birch River Psd | Nicholas | 1,369 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Fenwick Mountain Psd | Nicholas | 554 | Community | Purchased surface water |
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, “Richwood Water Dept, PWSID WV3303401, West Virginia”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/west-virginia/richwood-water-dept-wv3303401 (data as of October 1, 2026).