Is SALEM PWS's water safe to drink?
SALEM PWS has a health-based violation on record, but none in the last five years - an older issue, not necessarily a current one. 4,736 people get their water from it, across 2,165 connections.
How this compares nationally
Out of 12,903 systems in this dataset, SALEM PWS ranks 3,262th by violation burden (75th percentile) - 10 violations total, 6 health-baseds.
Against the MO average
Among the 327 MO systems in this dataset, the average is 6.1 health-based violations - SALEM PWS's 6 is at or below that. The clean-record guide covers what a comparison like this can hide.
Most recent violation on record
SALEM PWS's most recent violation on record is dated 2025-02-07, with the most recent health-based one dated 2015-01-12. Last reported to EPA: 06/16/2026.
The concern categories on record
SALEM PWS's flagged contaminants and rule violations, grouped by what they actually mean for a filter choice rather than left as EPA's raw code list:
- Microbial contamination / treatment technique - flagged from: Coliform (TCR)
The most severe category on record is microbial contamination / treatment technique, which points toward a microbial-class filter if you want to address it directly.
What SALEM PWS's record does not cover
SALEM PWS's numbers here come from its own required reporting to EPA under the Safe Drinking Water Act, not from an independent test of your glass of water. Water quality can still change between the meter and the faucet - household plumbing sits outside what a record of 10 logged violations can see. The guide to what this data misses covers that gap.