Public water system · WI1130224
ActiveMadison Water Utility
At a glance
Madison Water Utility (PWSID WI1130224) is an active community water system in Dane County, Wisconsin. It reports serving 272,000 people through 100,740 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 October 2024.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
272,000
Service connections
100,740
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Madison Water Utility compare with other water systems in Dane County?
By EPA's size categories, Madison Water Utility is a very large system (more than 100,000 people). Dane County has 300 active public water systems, and Madison Water Utility is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 156 times the county average of 1,742 people per system, and accounts for 52% of the 522,696 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Wisconsin, the 11,056 active systems average 469 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Madison Water Utility is about 41 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. Wisconsin has 1,053 active community water systems, 9.5% of the state's 11,056 active systems. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 10,978 Wisconsin systems (99%) list groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Madison Water Utility?
EPA lists Madison Water Utility as owned by a local government. The WI state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 74 of the 300 active systems in Dane County (25%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Madison Water Utility 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 2024. The violations listed here began between January 2001 and October 2024. By type: 9 monitoring and reporting, 2 public notice, recordkeeping or other and 1 required treatment not met. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Public Notice (2 of them). EPA lists 11 as resolved 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. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-10-17 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2024-10-17 | Required treatment not metLSL Inventory · code 2E | Lead and Copper Rule Revisionscode 5200 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2013-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Resolved |
| 2004-01-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2001-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | trans-1,2-Dichloroethylenecode 2979 | No | Resolved |
| 2001-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | cis-1,2-Dichloroethylenecode 2380 | No | Resolved |
| 2001-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Chlorobenzenecode 2989 | No | Resolved |
| 2001-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | o-Dichlorobenzenecode 2968 | No | Resolved |
| 2001-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,1,2-Trichloroethanecode 2985 | No | Resolved |
| 2001-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,2-Dichloropropanecode 2983 | No | Resolved |
| 2001-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,1-Dichloroethylenecode 2977 | No | Resolved |
| 2001-01-01 | 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.
Madison Water Utility: frequently asked questions
Who runs Madison Water Utility?
Madison Water Utility (PWSID WI1130224) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the WI state drinking water program.
How many people does Madison Water Utility serve?
Madison Water Utility reports serving 272,000 people through 100,740 service connections in Dane County, Wisconsin.
Where does Madison Water Utility 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 Madison Water Utility 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 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 Madison Water Utility'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 2024. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the WI state drinking water program.
Where can I find Madison Water Utility's water quality report?
As a community water system, Madison Water Utility 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 Dane County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Prairie Utilities | Dane | 39,300 | Community | Groundwater |
| Fitchburg Utility Dist 1 | Dane | 24,500 | Community | Groundwater |
| Middleton Waterworks | Dane | 23,868 | Community | Groundwater |
| Waunakee Waterworks | Dane | 14,879 | Community | Groundwater |
| Verona Waterworks | Dane | 14,030 | Community | Groundwater |
| Stoughton Waterworks | Dane | 13,078 | 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, “Madison Water Utility, PWSID WI1130224, Wisconsin”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/wisconsin/madison-water-utility-wi1130224 (data as of October 1, 2026).