Water Quality: Charleston, MS
9 water systems • 6,718 people served
Multiple Health ViolationsWater Quality Summary
Charleston is served by 9 public water systems with a combined service population of 6,718 people, and has 568 EPA Safe Drinking Water Act violations on record. Critically, 32 of those are health-based violations, meaning one or more contaminants were detected above EPA-established safe levels — a serious public health concern. Charleston's violation count is 708% above the national average for Mississippi. Contaminants associated with violations include Barium, Stage 2 DBP.
Contaminants Found
Increases blood pressure and causes cardiovascular effects with long-term exposure.
Common source: Natural rock deposits, oil drilling operations, coal power plant waste
EPA limit: 2 mg/L
Trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids that increase cancer risk and may cause adverse reproductive outcomes.
Common source: Chlorine disinfection reacting with natural organic matter in source water
EPA limit: TTHM: 0.080 mg/L; HAA5: 0.060 mg/L
Water Systems Serving Charleston
| System Name | PWSID | Source | Population | Violations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHARLESTON UTILITIES | MS0680002 | Groundwater | 3,100 | 5 |
| BLUE CANE, COWART & TIPPO W/A. | MS0680037 | Groundwater | 1,191 | 10 |
| CASCILLA WATER ASSOCIATION | MS0680001 | Groundwater | 837 | 431 |
| PAYNES WATER ASSOCIATION | MS0680008 | Groundwater | 531 | 39 |
| SOUTH QUITMAN-S LAMBERT UTL | MS0600010 | Groundwater | 528 | 22 |
| EAST CHARLESTON WATER ASSN | MS0680004 | Groundwater | 211 | 28 |
| SOUTH QUITMAN-WEST CROWDER | MS0600018 | Groundwater | 185 | 9 |
| SOUTH QUITMAN-SOUTH TUTWILER | MS0680035 | Groundwater | 95 | 12 |
| SOUTH QUITMAN-EAST TUTWILER | MS0680034 | Groundwater | 40 | 12 |
Concerned About Your Water?
A home water filter can remove common contaminants. NSF-certified filters are tested against EPA standards.
Consider a reverse osmosis system for comprehensive filtration or a carbon filter for basic improvement.
Other Cities in Mississippi
Data Sources
Drinking water violation data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). Data includes all recorded violations for active community water systems.