Public water system record
Box Elder
Serves Box Elder and Rapid Valley, Pennington County and Meade County, SD · 14,000 people served
Federal records show 9 health-based violations and no monitoring/reporting issues for Box Elder in the last ten years. The most serious issue in this window was a Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U violation that EPA lists as archived, not resolved.
System profile
- Health-based violations, last 10 years
- 9
- Resolved
- 7
- Unresolved
- 0
- Archived by EPA
- 2
- Any acute record
- No
- Monitoring issues, last 10 years
- 0
Key facts
- Box Elder draws water from 4 wells.
- Highest measured level in the last 10 years: Combined Radium (-226 and -228), 8 pCi/L, federal limit 5 pCi/L (1.6 times the limit), 2022.
- Record on file since 1976, with 8 health-based violations before October 19, 2016.
- Lead pipe inventory: 0 lead and 253 unknown out of 4,022 service lines.
Check whether Box Elder serves your address
Health-based violations
Since October 2016Violation data reflects EPA records through March 2026. For the most current status, visit the EPA ECHO database.
| Contaminant | Rule family | Start date | Status | Acute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U
Contaminant limit exceeded
Measured 16 pCi/L, federal limit 15 pCi/L (1.1 times the limit)
|
340 | Jul 1, 2025 |
Archived
Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
|
No |
|
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U
Contaminant limit exceeded
Measured 19 pCi/L, federal limit 15 pCi/L (1.3 times the limit)
|
340 | Apr 1, 2025 |
Archived
Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
|
No |
|
Combined Radium (-226 and -228)
Contaminant limit exceeded
Measured 6 pCi/L, federal limit 5 pCi/L (1.2 times the limit)
|
340 | Jul 1, 2024 | Resolved | No |
|
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U
Contaminant limit exceeded
Measured 22 pCi/L, federal limit 15 pCi/L (1.5 times the limit)
|
340 | Apr 1, 2022 | Resolved | No |
|
Combined Radium (-226 and -228)
Contaminant limit exceeded
Measured 8 pCi/L, federal limit 5 pCi/L (1.6 times the limit)
|
340 | Apr 1, 2022 | Resolved | No |
|
Combined Radium (-226 and -228)
Contaminant limit exceeded
Measured 7 pCi/L, federal limit 5 pCi/L (1.4 times the limit)
|
340 | Jan 1, 2022 | Resolved | No |
|
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U
Contaminant limit exceeded
Measured 19 pCi/L, federal limit 15 pCi/L (1.3 times the limit)
|
340 | Jan 1, 2022 | Resolved | No |
|
Combined Radium (-226 and -228)
Contaminant limit exceeded
Measured 6 pCi/L, federal limit 5 pCi/L (1.2 times the limit)
|
340 | Oct 1, 2021 | Resolved | No |
|
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U
Contaminant limit exceeded
Measured 16 pCi/L, federal limit 15 pCi/L (1.1 times the limit)
|
340 | Oct 1, 2021 | Resolved | No |
Full record since 1976
EPA's records for Box Elder go back to 1976. Before October 19, 2016 they list 8 health-based violations (8 resolved) and 127 monitoring or reporting violations.
| Violations that began in | Health-based | Monitoring and reporting |
|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0 | 2 |
| 1990s | 0 | 77 |
| 2000s | 8 | 48 |
| 2020s | 9 | 0 |
Most recent health-based violation before October 19, 2016: Combined Radium (-226 and -228), began October 2008, Resolved.
Show all 8 health-based violations before October 19, 2016
| Contaminant | Start date | Status |
|---|---|---|
|
Combined Radium (-226 and -228)
Contaminant limit exceeded
Measured 12 pCi/L, federal limit 5 pCi/L (2.4 times the limit)
|
Oct 1, 2008 | Resolved |
|
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U
Contaminant limit exceeded
Measured 39 pCi/L, federal limit 15 pCi/L (2.6 times the limit)
|
Oct 1, 2008 | Resolved |
|
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U
Contaminant limit exceeded
|
Jul 1, 2008 | Resolved |
|
Combined Radium (-226 and -228)
Contaminant limit exceeded
|
Jul 1, 2008 | Resolved |
|
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U
Contaminant limit exceeded
|
Apr 1, 2008 | Resolved |
|
Combined Radium (-226 and -228)
Contaminant limit exceeded
|
Apr 1, 2008 | Resolved |
|
Combined Radium (-226 and -228)
Contaminant limit exceeded
|
Jan 1, 2008 | Resolved |
|
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U
Contaminant limit exceeded
|
Jan 1, 2008 | Resolved |
What the violations mean
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U
5 incidentsTest results for Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U were above the federal limit (a maximum contaminant level violation).
The utility had to notify customers about each of these violations.
Combined Radium (-226 and -228)
4 incidentsTest results for Combined Radium (-226 and -228) were above the federal limit (a maximum contaminant level violation).
The utility had to notify customers about each of these violations.
Where the water comes from
Box Elder draws water from 4 wells. 2 other community water systems buy water from Box Elder.
Community systems that buy water from it
- Valley Heights Estates Inc Sturgis, SD
- Whispering Willows Black Hawk, SD
Annual water quality report
Box Elder must give its customers an annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report) by July 1, with the levels its tests found in the previous year.
Systems serving 10,000 or more people must mail or deliver the report to every customer, and from 2027 they must send it twice a year.
Find a posted report with EPA's Consumer Confidence Report search
Testing your own water
To test the water at your tap, or a private well this record does not cover, use a laboratory certified for drinking water by South Dakota.
Certified drinking water labs by state EPA guidance for private wells