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Public water system · WV3302421

Active

Welch City of

At a glance

City of Welch (PWSID WV3302421) is an active community water system in McDowell County, West Virginia. It reports serving 2,907 people through 1,009 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, 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

2,907

Service connections

1,009

Primary source

GW

Groundwater

System type

CWS

Community water system

System record

PWSIDWV3302421
System typeCommunity water system
Activity statusActive
Population served2,907
Service connections1,009
Primary water sourceGroundwater
Owner typeLocal government
Primacy agencyWV state drinking water program
City servedWelch
StateWest Virginia
ZIP—
CountyMcDowell County

How does City of Welch compare with other water systems in McDowell County?

By EPA's size categories, City of Welch is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). McDowell County has 24 active public water systems, and City of Welch is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 4.7 times the county average of 621 people per system, and accounts for 20% of the 14,906 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 City of Welch is about 57% 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 means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 468 West Virginia systems (59%) list groundwater as their primary source.

Who owns and regulates City of Welch?

EPA lists City of Welch 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. 9 of the 24 active systems in McDowell County (38%) are also owned by a local government.

Does City of Welch 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 July 2024 and January 2026. By type: 7 monitoring and reporting, 3 monitoring, 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other and 1 required treatment not met. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Revised Total Coliform Rule (4 of them). EPA lists 6 as archived, 5 as resolved and 1 as unaddressed. 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. 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. Unaddressed means the violation is not resolved or archived and is not yet covered by formal enforcement.

BeganViolationContaminant or ruleHealth-basedStatus
2026-01-10Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75Public Noticecode 7500NoUnaddressed
2025-11-01MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3ARevised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000NoArchived
2025-11-01Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27Chlorinecode 0999NoArchived
2025-10-31Required treatment not metTreatment Technique, Level 1 Assessment (RTCR) · code 2ARevised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000YesResolved
2025-09-01Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27Chlorinecode 0999NoArchived
2025-04-01Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950NoArchived
2025-04-01Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03Nitritecode 1041NoArchived
2025-04-01Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456NoArchived
2025-02-01MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3ARevised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000NoResolved
2025-02-01Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27Chlorinecode 0999NoResolved
2024-07-01MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3ARevised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000NoResolved
2024-07-01Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27Chlorinecode 0999NoResolved

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.

City of Welch: frequently asked questions

Who runs City of Welch?

City of Welch (PWSID WV3302421) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the WV state drinking water program.

How many people does City of Welch serve?

City of Welch reports serving 2,907 people through 1,009 service connections in McDowell County, West Virginia.

Where does City of Welch 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 City of Welch 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 City of Welch'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 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 City of Welch's water quality report?

As a community water system, City of Welch 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 McDowell County

Water systemCountyPopulation servedTypeSource
Mcdowell County Psd BartleyMcDowell2,242CommunityGroundwater under influence of surface water
Mcdowell County Psd MaybeuryMcDowell1,648CommunityGroundwater
Gary City ofMcDowell1,633CommunityGroundwater
Mcdowell County Psd CoalwoodMcDowell1,537CommunityGroundwater
War Water Works City RealtyMcDowell1,220CommunityGroundwater
Mcdowell County Psd BerwindMcDowell692CommunityGroundwater under influence of 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, “Welch City of, PWSID WV3302421, West Virginia”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/west-virginia/welch-city-of-wv3302421 (data as of October 1, 2026).