Sioux Falls public water system guide

The state-hosted Sioux Falls 2025 drinking water report says the system purchased 62% of its water from Lewis and Clark Regional Water System, identified in the report as 2288. The report combines Sioux Falls results with seven asterisk-marked supplier results. A supplier's result is not a separate measurement at your home, and the percentage describes the report period.

Confirm your provider using your water bill or utility account before applying this report to your address. The Sioux Falls record is PWSID SD4600294; city limits alone do not establish who supplies a property.

Two official reports need to be read separately

The City's own 2025 water quality brochure differs from the state-hosted report used for the 21 rows below. For example, the City prints beta/photon emitters as 4.7 pCi/L with a limit of 50 and a 2021 sample year; the state report prints 5 mrem/yr with a limit of 4 and a May 10, 2021 testing date. These values and units are not interchangeable. The City's copper goal is 1.3 ppm; the state report prints 0. These disagreements remain unresolved, and neither is used here to infer a violation.

The City brochure also includes additional operational parameters and separate Sioux Falls and Lewis & Clark averages. The additional-parameter averages and all 18 City result rows are shown on the system page. The 21 state-report rows are not the complete set of results published by the utility for 2025.

Read the testing date as well as the report year

The lead result is 3 ppb, reported as a 90% level and dated 07/09/24; copper is 0.1 ppm, dated 06/20/24. Both rows list zero test sites above their printed action levels. These are monitoring statistics from sampled sites, not predictions of lead or copper at an individual tap. Service lines, fixtures and household plumbing can affect household questions.

The unregulated lithium row lists 70.9 ug/l, a range of 42.7–70.9 ug/l, and a testing date of 8/14/2023. The narrative separately says Sioux Falls participated in UCMR5 sampling in 2025 and uses the report as public notice. Those different dates are preserved; the lithium row is not relabeled as a 2025 sample or a current advisory.

Source: City of Sioux Falls 2025 Drinking Water Report, pages 1–6. All six pages reviewed September 17, 2026. Annual reports describe a past reporting period; check official utility or state notices for current instructions.

The City's water-quality page names the Big Sioux River, Big Sioux Aquifer, Middle Skunk Creek Aquifer, and Lewis & Clark Regional Water System. The City brochure describes two supply routes: the City-owned water plant and purchased regional water. Its map distinguishes regional supply and blended supply. It does not confirm the source reaching a particular tap today.

The state report's broad surface-water classification does not enumerate those local aquifers. Preserve both descriptions when comparing records; a regulatory source category and a utility's list of individual sources answer different questions.

River, aquifers and well fields

The November 2023 master plan locates the Big Sioux River pumping-station intakes at the regional airport. It identifies North and Airport well fields in the Big Sioux:Sioux Falls aquifer and the Middle Skunk Creek field in the Big Sioux:Middle Skunk Creek aquifer. The plan counts 66 wells of three types: horizontal collector, gravel-pack and open-bottom Bragstad wells. It places 21 Airport-field wells on standby because of PFAS impacts; that is the plan's dated status, not confirmation of today's well operation.

The same plan describes an existing managed-aquifer-recharge operation: Big Sioux River water is diverted into a ditch, infiltrates the nearby aquifer and supports groundwater availability around wells. Surface water and groundwater are therefore connected parts of the local supply setting. Reserved water rights and proposed new wells are not additional operating sources.

November 2023 source plan, executive summary pages 1–3. Individual well status and later project completion require newer utility records.

Follow the watershed separately from tap-water results

The City's Environmental Division samples four Big Sioux River locations and one Skunk Creek location weekly. Its surface-water program measures pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, E. coli, biological oxygen demand, ammonia, nitrate and total suspended solids. E. coli monitoring runs May through September, and laboratory results may appear after collection.

Use the official surface-water dashboard to review or download observations for the location and date of interest. River recreation criteria and untreated-source measurements do not describe drinking water after treatment. The state source-water protection program explains contributing areas, potential contamination sources and susceptibility assessments. The Sioux Falls assessment ratings printed in different annual reports remain unresolved; the underlying assessment is needed to explain them.

Sources: City Big Sioux River monitoring program and South Dakota source-water protection guidance, checked September 17, 2026.

Corrosion control and lead sampling

The City brochure says its Water Division uses pH adjustment of treated water to minimize lead and copper levels. It describes lead and copper testing since 1992, and its 2024 sampling table lists 50 sites with zero sites above the printed action levels for each substance. These are historical utility statements and sample-group statistics, not a determination about the plumbing or water in an individual home.

Sources checked September 17, 2026: City water-source description and 2025 City brochure, both PDF pages. Detailed facility records are summarized in Treatment and infrastructure.

The City's source-and-treatment master plan, finalized November 2023, describes its own plant as treating both surface water and groundwater. Surface water first receives ballasted flocculation, which helps particles gather and settle. The treatment sequence then includes lime softening, recarbonation, filtration and chlorine disinfection. Purchased Lewis & Clark water is a separate treated supply; this sequence describes the City plant.

The plan distinguishes an effective plant treatment capacity of about 55 million gallons per day from a filter capacity of about 75 million gallons per day following the 2009 filter upgrade. Filter capacity alone does not establish whole-plant capacity or daily production.

The December 2023 distribution plan describes four pressure zones, four ground reservoirs and four elevated tanks totaling 20 million gallons of City storage. Storage supports ordinary demand, fire protection and emergency needs. Pressure-zone boundaries and operating conditions matter more than a city's geographic boundary when investigating pressure.

Fluoride addition in the treatment record

The 2023 treatment evaluation describes hydrofluorosilicic acid addition downstream of the clearwell and an average dose of 0.4 mg/L as fluoride. That is an added dose, not a finished-water concentration or a verified current operating target. The 2025 City brochure's fluoride results and separate City/regional averages provide later measured context. Ask the plant for its current target and policy before treating the plan-era dose as today's operating instruction.

Treatment evaluation page 51 (PDF page 597); 2025 City brochure.

Chloramine history and specialized water uses

The City's historical chloramine brochure dates the distribution-system conversion to June 2001. It describes adding ammonia after free-chlorine disinfection at the plant. Chloramines combine chlorine and ammonia; the later UCMR sampling responses below provide dated residual-method context rather than relying only on this older brochure.

The brochure identifies special handling needs for dialysis equipment and aquariums. Ask a dialysis-care team about water preparation for the equipment and an aquarium specialist about treatment appropriate to the animals. A household drinking-water filter is not a substitute for those equipment-specific instructions.

City chloramines brochure, both pages, reviewed September 17, 2026. Its old contact number, historical numerical ranges and broad safety statements are not adopted as current guidance.

What the 2026 project updates establish

The City's August 31, 2026 update describes active construction of its third Lewis & Clark connection: a 24-inch transmission main along 12th Street/Highway 42 and 467th Avenue, a meter building and a West Reservoir connection. The listed May 31, 2027 completion date is a scheduled milestone, not evidence that the connection is operating.

A separate August 31 update says work has begun to rehabilitate the 1.5-million-gallon 57th Street tower, including surface repairs and interior sandblasting. Its listed completion date is November 17, 2026. This is rehabilitation of existing storage, not one of the three proposed new towers.

Sources: third-connection project update and 57th Street tower update, both dated August 31 and checked September 17, 2026.

Sources reviewed September 17, 2026: City source-and-treatment master plan, Treatment Evaluation page 1 and December 2023 distribution master plan. Hosting filenames contain 2024; the documents' own plan dates are retained.

The City's regional-water map shades much of the west and southwest in blue for Lewis & Clark supply and a southeast area in yellow for blended supply. It also marks the regional pipeline and major streets. These broad zones help explain why the brochure publishes two sets of hardness and operational averages.

Open the official regional and blended supply map (PDF). Locate nearby named streets, then ask the utility to confirm your address's provider and supply. The map does not show a publication date, parcel-level service eligibility, or today's blend. Do not infer that unshaded land is unserved or use the map alone to select a household treatment setting.

Find an address in the official water viewer

1. Open the City Water Information Viewer and read its Welcome notice.
2. Close Welcome, enter the street address in “Address/Name/Parcel ID,” then press Enter. Check that the returned address matches the property.
3. Use the map as context when contacting the utility. An address point alone does not identify the account's provider, supply blend or service-line material.

The viewer describes its water-pressure contours as estimates that can change with seasonal demand and unforeseen conditions. It is informational, not suitable for system design. If a layer or address result will not load, contact the utility rather than interpreting a blank map as no service.

The complete supply-map PDF and viewer were reviewed September 17, 2026. A public City Hall search returned “224 W 9TH ST” and a mapped point. This verifies address search, not parcel-level provider confirmation.

The City's PFAS history describes PFOA and PFOS detections in a 2011–2012 survey, followed by additional source testing and voluntary discontinuation of affected wells in 2013. Further testing occurred in 2014, 2015 and 2016. After the May 2016 federal health advisories, the City says it discontinued additional wells following further detections.

The City describes monthly testing of treated City water and purchased regional water since August 2016. It also reports no detectable PFAS in its initial monitoring from November 2023 through May 2024. That is an attributed summary for that period, not zero concentration: the page does not supply all individual analytes, reporting limits, sample locations and dates needed to reconstruct those results.

Source checked September 17, 2026: City PFAS information. Historical advisories are not treated as current legal standards, and the page's future regulatory timetable is not adopted here.

EPA's downloadable UCMR files contain 918 analytical records for SD4600294 across five cycles: 44 from 2002, 124 from 2008, 280 from 2014, 230 from 2019–2020 and 240 from 2023–2024. Ten additional 2020 raw-source indicator results belong to the fourth cycle. A record represents one substance and sample, not one household or a separate service area.

The fifth cycle reports 232 PFAS results below their individual minimum reporting levels and eight quantified lithium results, 42.7–70.9 µg/L. Lithium is not PFAS. Samples came from the City plant's entry point and the Lewis & Clark intertie at 85th Street Tower. Collection dates run from August 14, 2023 through May 14, 2024; retain the actual dates rather than assigning all results to an annual report's cover year.

The earlier cycles add historical context: the 2002 and 2008 records are below reporting levels; the 2014 records include quantified chlorate, chromium, chromium-6, molybdenum, strontium and vanadium. The 2019–2020 records include haloacetic-acid groups and manganese. Different analytes, locations and reporting limits prevent a simple “better or worse” trend comparison across these programs.

Source: EPA UCMR occurrence archives and cycle-specific data definitions, downloaded September 17, 2026; UCMR 5 July 2026 release. Historical UCMR results do not establish current compliance, a current notice or conditions at an individual tap.

Confirm Sioux Falls Water Division on your bill or account before asking about system-specific service. Use the direct number for your concern.

Water-related emergency

605-367-8805

Water quality concerns and lead sampling kits

605-373-6950. The 2025 brochure directs customers here to request a lead-in-water sampling kit. Ask about eligibility, cost, collection instructions and return deadlines before collecting a sample.

Water meters or pressure concerns

605-367-8810

Water Purification Plant

605-373-6940

Office address and hours

2100 N. Minnesota Avenue; P.O. Box 7402, Sioux Falls, SD 57104-7402. The contact page lists Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; these are not confirmed sample-receiving hours.

For a non-emergency issue, the City also offers an online issue-reporting form. Have the service address, the time the concern began and a description of the change ready. This website does not receive or dispatch service calls.

Current notices, construction and flushing questions

Start with the official Water Division page and contact the emergency line for an urgent water-service problem. The City's alert-registration link redirects to its Everbridge service. Alert enrollment and delivery were not tested, and that destination is not a complete public archive of water notices.

For planned street and water-main work, use the City construction page, open the named project and read its dated update. Its active-project map covers ongoing work, while the linked capital program concerns upcoming work. Neither is a live water-outage map. For flushing schedules or a pressure/color change, ask Water Division which activity affects the address and what instructions apply; do not infer a cause from nearby construction.

Sources checked September 17, 2026: Water Division contact directory and 2025 City brochure, lead-in-water sampling instructions. The current directory uses different direct numbers from the state-hosted report.

The City's 2025 brochure reports total hardness of 250 PPM as CaCO₃ for Sioux Falls water and 168 PPM for Lewis & Clark water, with softener settings of 15 and 10 grains per gallon respectively. Its supply map distinguishes regional and blended water. These report averages do not measure the current hardness at your address; confirm the supply and appropriate setting with the utility.

Source: 2025 City brochure, PDF page 1, Additional Parameters of Interest. All 12 rows checked September 17, 2026. Historical hardness records are also available in the earlier-report panels on the system page.

The 2022 City brochure reports 2021 lead and copper sampling: lead below 1 PPB and copper 0.06 PPM for its “90% of values less than” measure, with zero of 50 sites above each action level. The 2024 state report carries the later 2024 sampling values also printed in the 2025 reports. Repeated values across annual reports do not establish new sampling each year.

The 2022 brochure describes a 2003 state source-water assessment as “moderately susceptible” and says a copy can be viewed at the state office in Pierre. The 2024 and 2025 state-hosted reports instead print a “low” relative susceptibility rating without an assessment date. The underlying assessments are needed to explain the different ratings; neither rating is a household test result.

The 2024 state report says 55% of water was purchased from Lewis and Clark, compared with 62% in its 2025 version. These are report-period shares, not a present-day allocation to a specific home.

Sources reviewed September 17, 2026: 2022 City brochure, both pages and 2024 state-hosted report, all six pages. Archive discovery and full source reconciliation remain unfinished; these reviewed reporting years are not a claim that other years do not exist.

The utility's six 2020 data sheets distinguish untreated sources from water after treatment. They are historical operating and laboratory records, not present-day tap results. The finished-water sheet reports average hardness of 259 mg/L as calcium carbonate for City water and 181 mg/L for regional water, with ranges of 212–314 and 150–229 mg/L. Its grains-per-gallon row gives averages of 15 and 10 but leaves the minimum and maximum cells blank.

The same sheet's aggregate perfluoroalkyl-substances row reports City results as BDL and a regional maximum of 2.2 ng/L, with a reporting level of 2. BDL means below detection limit, not zero. The grouped row does not identify which substance produced that maximum; the printed analyte list is retained with the source notes.

Sources: the City's 2020 finished-water sheet and linked utility datasets. Raw-source findings do not describe water after treatment.

EPA ECHO independently identifies SIOUX FALLS as SD4600294, a community water system owned by local government. Its inventory lists 216,462 people served and Minnehaha County. These are system-record fields, not proof of service at every city or county address. “Active” is an inventory classification, not a statement about water quality.

Two published sanitary surveys

EPA's five-year view lists completed state surveys on June 3, 2025 and June 30, 2022. Both have eight categories marked N and three with no result shown. N means no deficiencies or recommendations; a blank category does not mean it passed an evaluation.

A historical violation outside the five-year view

The separate EPA Envirofacts query returns violation 1000102, beginning December 8, 2009. EPA categorizes it as a treatment-technique violation and marks it health-based, under rule code 210 (Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule). The record supplies violation code 12 and contaminant code 0400, but no measured value or unit. It is not evidence of a current advisory or a quantified household exposure.

Two state actions are linked to that violation: “St Violation/Reminder Notice” on March 11, 2010, and “St Compliance achieved” on June 10, 2010. The violation record's return-to-compliance date is also June 10, 2010. Its compliance-period end field is blank; that blank is preserved separately from the dated compliance action. Current annual reports' no-health-based- violation statements do not erase this earlier record.

The five-year facility-report response contains no violation/enforcement detail entries, while the separate historical query returns the record above. Neither query establishes a complete state archive or current conditions. Older state documents remain under review.

Source: EPA ECHO, registry 110013001955, PWSID SD4600294. Retrieved September 17, 2026; SDWIS extract date July 9, 2026. The same survey dates also appear in the site-visit list; they are not four separate visits.

The City's inventory program covers both public and private water service pipes. It asks residents to report their pipe material even when it is not lead, including copper, galvanized steel or PVC. The survey requests a photograph to help the City identify the material.

If the City has asked you to participate, use its official service-pipe survey. For Sioux Falls-specific questions, call 605-367-8600. Ask the City to confirm your property's inventory record, both ownership sides and the verification method. A self-reported photograph is not a water-test result.

School and childcare questions need building-specific records

South Dakota's school lead-testing program describes support for public K–12 schools: sampling plans, bottles and laboratory testing, staff training, results communication and remediation planning. Elementary schools and disadvantaged communities are priorities. The published district-results list reviewed September 17, 2026 did not include Sioux Falls; that omission does not establish that no local testing occurred.

For a particular school or childcare facility, ask its operator for the building name, outlet-level sampling dates and results, collection method and follow-up actions. UCMR distribution samples collected at school-named locations are not a complete test of classroom or kitchen plumbing. The state program lists Erin Fagnan at 605-910-4953 for school-program questions.

South Dakota school lead-testing program and published district results, checked September 17, 2026. Sioux Falls-specific building records and childcare coverage remain unverified.

What the state inventory snapshot contains

The state dashboard's “2025 Statewide Inventory” layer contains 63,544 Sioux Falls records when filtered to provider Sioux Falls and numeric state identifier 294. Its whole-pipe classifications are 58,123 non-lead, 5,400 unknown, six lead and 15 galvanized requiring replacement. These are inventory classifications, not tap-water results. Unknown means the record does not yet establish the material.

The November 2023 master plan reported four City-owned lead lines and nine unknown service lines in its initial inventory discussion. Those older, differently scoped counts do not describe the later statewide whole-pipe inventory and are not substituted for it. The City program page's account of decades of lead-removal work is not a finding that all remaining lines are non-lead.

For property-level confirmation, use the state inventory map and contact the City about the material, evidence and ownership sides. The reviewed City page does not publish replacement eligibility, payment terms or a property-level replacement schedule; obtain those details from the utility before authorizing work.

Source checked September 17, 2026: City service-line inventory program. Historical comparison: November 2023 master plan, executive summary page 11. Replacement-program records remain under review.

The City schedule displayed Stage 1 when checked September 17, 2026. This is a dated observation, not a live stage indicator. Check the official lawn-watering schedule before watering. Its year-round program applies to municipal water users, including residential, commercial, industrial and City facilities.

Stage 1: match the calendar date

Even-numbered addresses may water on even-numbered dates, and odd-numbered addresses on odd-numbered dates. Lawn watering is prohibited from noon to 5 p.m. The page associates Stage 1 with river flow above 50 cubic feet per second.

Why seasonal changes can affect taste and odor

The City's drinking-water FAQ says surface-water quality changes after spring snowmelt and heavy rain, and that treatment methods are modified during those periods to address taste and odor. It does not specify chemical doses or assign a particular source to an individual home. Report a new concern to the water-quality line instead of using taste or appearance to decide whether water meets a standard.

Sources checked September 17, 2026: City lawn-watering program and seasonal source and treatment FAQ. Rules and operating conditions can change.

The City's published schedule is dated January 1, 2026. Water bills combine a fixed charge with a volume charge; sewer is separate. Check your meter size, residential or commercial classification, and inside/outside-city billing status. A city address alone does not establish the applicable rate.

For a 5/8-inch residential meter, the published water fixed charge is $3.81 inside the city or $8.14 outside. The first listed single-family volume band, 1–7 CCF, is $4.34/CCF inside or $10.46/CCF outside. These are components, not an estimate of your whole bill. The City defines one CCF as 100 cubic feet or 748.052 gallons.

If paying on time is difficult

Call Utility Billing, 605-367-8131 immediately if you cannot pay in full or on time. The City considers payment arrangements based on payment history, account status and other circumstances. An arrangement requires the office's approval.

The City's FAQ says it does not offer budget billing or senior/low-income discounts. That statement concerns City utility billing programs, not every outside assistance organization. A qualifying leak adjustment may be considered if a significant leak caused higher-tier charges or if documentation shows water did not enter the sanitary sewer.

Source checked September 17, 2026: City water and sewer rates, effective January 1, 2026. Verify current charges and account-specific assistance with Utility Billing. County emergency-assistance information is below.

County emergency utility assistance

Minnehaha County Human Services lists past-due utility bills among the emergency expenses it may assist with, subject to eligibility. This is separate from City billing arrangements and is not guaranteed payment. Contact 605-367-4217 or visit 521 N. Main Avenue, Suite 201, Sioux Falls. Posted hours are Monday–Friday, 7:30 a.m.–5 p.m., excluding county holidays. After-hours emergency screening is available through 211.

The County sees walk-ins in arrival order. It requests photo ID and Social Security cards for household members, and may require two months of wages, other income, lease/rent information, landlord contact details, disconnect notices and expense documentation. Each unmarried adult must complete a separate application. Provide sensitive documents directly through the County's process, not this website.

Sources: County Human Services and application instructions and language-assistance link, checked September 17, 2026. County eligibility is not established by a Sioux Falls mailing address alone.

Rebates for replacing older fixtures

The City's plumbing program credits approved rebates to the Sioux Falls utility account. Applicants must be utility water customers, buy from a Sioux Falls retailer and submit the completed application with the original receipt. New construction is excluded, and a home inspection may be required.

Sioux Falls Water Division is part of the City government. EPA identifies the system as locally government-owned. The City's council page describes a mayor and eight council members. Council agendas, budget items and supporting documents are useful places to follow proposed water rates and capital work; a plan recommendation alone is not an adopted appropriation.

Attend or watch a meeting

The published schedule lists informational meetings on the first four Tuesdays at 4 p.m. and City Council meetings on the first three Tuesdays at 6 p.m. Meetings are at Carnegie Town Hall, 235 West Tenth Street. The City cautions that dates and times can change, so check the specific agenda before attending.

Use the meeting and agenda page to open an agenda item and its PDF attachments. Its archive search covers meetings more than six months old. Live viewing is available through CityLink and local cable channel 16. For participation procedures or help finding a record, contact the City Clerk, 605-367-8080, or [email protected].

Ask for a missing water record

The City public-records page directs non-police requests through one City request form, then routes them to the relevant department. Identify Sioux Falls Water Division, SD4600294, the document type and date range. Request existing electronic records and distinguish annual brochures, underlying sample results, service-line records and project-completion documents. Do not include account passwords or unrelated personal information.

The City says staff may assess costs when a request exceeds one hour or requires materials, and will contact the requester before starting requests costing more than $50. A request number is used for follow-up; the City discourages duplicate requests as status checks.

Language and accessible-format help

For language assistance, contact the Human Relations Office at 605-367-8745 or [email protected]. The City accepts TRS Relay 7-1-1 and video relay calls. Its website language selector is available, but that does not establish translated versions of every attached water-report PDF.

For a City website, form or document-access barrier, use [email protected] or the same phone number. Include the document URL, the barrier and the format or assistance needed. The City's digital-accessibility page says it will work to provide accessible information or an alternative aid or service; response times depend on the issue.

Sources checked September 17, 2026: City Council, meetings and participation, records procedure, Human Relations language assistance and digital-accessibility help. These are contact and participation instructions, not a certification of the accessibility of the City's documents.