EPA data show Alaska water system serving 771 logged Tier 1 violation

A public water system serving 771 people logged a Tier 1 drinking-water violation on March 1, the Environmental Protection Agency's most urgent notification level, according to EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System data. Federal rules give suppliers 24 hours to notify customers when a violation could pose an immediate health risk.

The system appears in the data only as AK2110643, tied to contaminant code 0300. The snapshot does not name the community, translate the code, or say whether customers were notified.

Five other systems, AK2312415, AK2271033, AK2250265, AK2249250 and AK2360248, recorded Tier 2 health-based treatment-technique violations between March 2 and March 28. They serve 508, 311, 150, 46 and 40 residents respectively, under contaminant code 0700. Most other entries in the dataset are monitoring or reporting lapses, not health violations. Alaska's Department of Environmental Conservation says consumers must be notified of serious problems within 24 hours or sooner. Tier 2 notification timelines are longer.

EPA acknowledges the database contains inaccuracies and underreporting. The snapshot lists no community names.

What the data shows and what it means for the people who turn on their taps are two different things. Until the systems are named, residents are left to wonder if it was their water.