Public water system · WV3303917
ActiveTerra Alta Water Works
At a glance
Terra Alta Water Works (PWSID WV3303917) is an active community water system in Preston County, West Virginia. It reports serving 1,856 people through 778 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater under influence of 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 January 2026.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
1,856
Service connections
778
Primary source
GU
Groundwater under influence of surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Terra Alta Water Works compare with other water systems in Preston County?
By EPA's size categories, Terra Alta Water Works is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Preston County has 75 active public water systems, and Terra Alta Water Works is the 5th-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 4.3 times the county average of 433 people per system, and accounts for 5.7% of the 32,453 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 Terra Alta Water Works 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. West Virginia has 427 active community water systems, 54% of the state's 791 active systems. Groundwater under the influence of surface water is well or spring water that the regulator has found to be affected by nearby surface water, so it is regulated under the surface-water treatment rules. 22 West Virginia systems (2.8%) list groundwater under influence of surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Terra Alta Water Works?
EPA lists Terra Alta Water Works 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. 12 of the 75 active systems in Preston County (16%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Terra Alta Water Works have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2026. The violations listed here began between October 2024 and January 2026. By type: 6 monitoring and reporting, 5 public notice, recordkeeping or other and 1 required treatment not met. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Public Notice (4 of them). EPA lists 7 as resolved and 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Archived |
| 2026-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Archived |
| 2025-12-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Filter) · code 36 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | No | Archived |
| 2025-12-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Turbidity (Enhanced SWTR) · code 38 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | No | Archived |
| 2025-12-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Turbidity (Enhanced SWTR) · code 38 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | No | Archived |
| 2025-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2025-05-11 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2025-02-21 | Required treatment not metFailure To Address Deficiency · code 45 | Groundwater Rulecode 0700 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2025-02-15 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2025-02-15 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-10-13 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Turbidity (Enhanced SWTR) · code 38 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | 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.
Terra Alta Water Works: frequently asked questions
Who runs Terra Alta Water Works?
Terra Alta Water Works (PWSID WV3303917) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the WV state drinking water program.
How many people does Terra Alta Water Works serve?
Terra Alta Water Works reports serving 1,856 people through 778 service connections in Preston County, West Virginia.
Where does Terra Alta Water Works get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as groundwater under influence of surface water. Groundwater under the influence of surface water is well or spring water that the regulator has found to be affected by nearby surface water, so it is regulated under the surface-water treatment rules.
Does Terra Alta Water Works 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 January 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 Terra Alta Water Works' 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 January 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 Terra Alta Water Works' water quality report?
As a community water system, Terra Alta Water Works 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 Preston County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preston County Psd 4 | Preston | 8,753 | Community | Groundwater |
| Kingwood Water Board | Preston | 7,674 | Community | Surface water |
| Preston County Psd 1 | Preston | 3,455 | Community | Surface water |
| Masontown Water Works | Preston | 2,239 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Tunnelton Town of | Preston | 1,346 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Alpine Lake Public Utilities | Preston | 1,325 | 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, “Terra Alta Water Works, PWSID WV3303917, West Virginia”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/west-virginia/terra-alta-water-works-wv3303917 (data as of October 1, 2026).