Fort Smith Water Utilities
EPA ID: AR0000507 · 86,209 people served · 22 ZIP codes
Over five tracked years, Fort Smith Water Utilities has stayed completely violation-free for its 86,209 residents.
Data: EPA SDWIS Last verified: 2026-04-02
Compliance Trajectory
Stable · Risk tier: High · 95% chance of violation in next 12 months
Violations went from 8 (2021) to 1 (2025). Violation counts have remained relatively steady.
Service Area Map
Coverage area for Fort Smith Water Utilities Source: EPA SDWIS service area boundaries.
Service area boundary — Grade A
Service Area Demographics
The Fort Smith Water Utilities serves a community with a median household income of $60,186 and an estimated 173,585 residents across its service area. Approximately 51% of housing stock was built before 1986, which increases the likelihood of lead service lines and older plumbing.
Environmental Justice Note: 52% of the population in this service area is classified as disadvantaged under EPA's EJScreen criteria. Communities with higher disadvantaged populations often face disproportionate environmental and health burdens, including aging water infrastructure and limited resources for remediation.
🌊 Where Does Your Water Come From?
Fort Smith Water Utilities's water is drawn from rivers, lakes, or reservoirs. Surface water sources are more exposed to agricultural runoff, stormwater, and upstream discharges, but they typically receive more intensive treatment before reaching your tap.
About 2% of homes in Sebastian County, Arkansas rely on private wells rather than public water systems. Private well owners are responsible for their own water testing and treatment.
Wastewater Proximity Note: This service area ranks in the 61th percentile nationally for proximity to wastewater discharge points. Surface water sources near wastewater outfalls may face additional treatment challenges.
Infrastructure Risk
Comparable Water Systems
Similar-sized systems in Arkansas
Estimated Remediation Costs
Average estimated costs across ZIP codes served by this system
Based on national averages for common remediation projects. Actual costs vary by property. Only issues flagged by EPA, FEMA, or state data for each ZIP code are included.
System Overview
Fort Smith Water Utilities (EPA ID: AR0000507) is a community water system in Arkansas that serves approximately 86,209 people from surface water sources.
This system provides water to 22 ZIP codes across 10 communities.
Average Home Safety Score: A (95/100)
Based on water quality violations, lead levels, and radon risk across all ZIP codes served by this system.
Violation History
Lead & Copper
EPA Lead and Copper Rule sampling data for ZIP codes served by this system:
| ZIP Code | Lead Level | Exceeds Limit | Sample Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 72901 | 0.001 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 72902 | 0.001 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 72903 | 0.001 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 72904 | 0.001 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 72905 | 0.001 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 72906 | 0.001 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 72908 | 0.001 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 72913 | 0.001 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 72914 | 0.001 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 72916 | 0.001 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 72917 | 0.001 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 72918 | 0.001 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 72919 | 0.001 mg/L | No | N/A |
Radon Risk in Service Area
Dominant radon zone for ZIP codes served by this system: Zone 3 (Low Risk)
Need help with your water quality?
Typical cost: Water test: typically $20–$50 (DIY kit) · Professional inspection: $150–$400
Find the Right Water FilterFree tip: Let cold water run for 2 minutes before drinking — this helps flush lead from your pipes.
ZIP Codes Served
Coverage: 15 ZIP codes confirmed via EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3 plus 7 additional ZIPs inferred from SDWIS registry data. The EPA-confirmed set is the most reliable; SDWIS-inferred entries may be narrower than the real deployment area.
- 72901 — Fort Smith
- 72902 — Fort Smith
- 72903 — Fort Smith
- 72904 — Fort Smith
- 72905 — Fort Smith
- 72906 — Fort Smith
- 72908 — Fort Smith
- 72913 — Fort Smith
- 72914 — Fort Smith
- 72916 — Fort Smith
- 72917 — Fort Smith
- 72918 — Fort Smith
- 72919 — Fort Smith
- 72921 — Alma
- 72923 — Barling
- 72934 — Chester
- 72936 — Greenwood
- 72937 — Hackett
- 72946 — Mountainburg
- 72952 — Rudy
- 72956 — Van Buren
- 72959 — Winslow
Data Sources
This report uses public data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). View the full compliance record for Fort Smith Water Utilities (AR0000507) on EPA.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fort Smith Water Utilities water safe to drink?
Based on EPA records, Fort Smith Water Utilities has no recorded violations in the past 5 years — a positive indicator of water quality management.
How many people does Fort Smith Water Utilities serve?
Fort Smith Water Utilities serves approximately 86,209 people across 22 ZIP codes in Arkansas.
Where does Fort Smith Water Utilities get its water?
The primary water source is surface water.
Contact Your Water Utility
Public-record contact information for the water utility serving this system. Use these channels to request water quality reports, ask about service, or report issues directly.
Contact information from Fort Smith Water Utilities Consumer Confidence Report.
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with this water utility, does not act as its agent, and does not provide customer support for it. Contact details shown are public-record information from CCR filings. For service issues, contact the utility directly using the information above.
Water Source & Treatment
Where this water originates and how it's treated before reaching your tap.
Source: Fort Smith Water Utilities Consumer Confidence Report.
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with this water utility. Treatment and source data are sourced from the utility's published CCR filings.
The Arkansas Department of Health has completed a Source Water Vulnerability Assessment for Fort Smith Water Utilities. The assessment summarizes the potential for contamination of our sources of drinking water and can be used as a basis for developing a source water protection plan. Based on the various criteria of the assessment, our water sources have been determined to have a low to medium susceptibility to contamination.
Treatment regime
How this utility classifies its treatment process and what each reported treatment chemical does.
Treatment chemicals and what each one does
Chemical names are reported verbatim by the utility. Purpose categories are ZipCheckup annotations based on standard drinking-water treatment practice.
Treatment classification and chemical list sourced from Fort Smith Water Utilities Consumer Confidence Report.
Treatment intensity is a ZipCheckup-derived classification based on the chemicals and processes the utility reports. Chemicals and contamination sources are taken verbatim from the utility's CCR filing. Routine federal monitoring and contaminant testing shown elsewhere on this page determine whether the water meets safety standards, not the treatment classification.
Federal UCMR5 PFAS Monitoring: Tested Clean
This water system was tested under the federal EPA Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5). No PFAS compounds were detected.
Current MCL reflects the lowest state-enforceable limit (NYS 10 ppt for PFOA/PFOS, effective August 2020). The federal final MCL of 4 ppt for PFOA/PFOS (EPA April 2024 rule) is not enforceable until April 2029. Detections above 4 ppt but below 10 ppt are below current MCL but above the future federal limit.
Source: U.S. EPA UCMR5 (Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, 5th cycle) — per-system federal sampling, 2023–2025. EPA UCMR5 monitoring program →
Lead Service Line Inventory
Service line breakdown reported under the federal Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) inventory requirement:
Federal LCRI rule (effective October 2024) requires every public water system to inventory its service lines and complete lead-line replacement within 10 years.
Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Service Line Inventory (Phase 2) · Submitted 2026
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with the utility or state agency. Inventory figures render verbatim from the public LCRI submission cited above; ZipCheckup does not perform inspections or replacements.
How Water Systems Appear in Rankings
Water systems are evaluated by violation history, contaminant detections, and service population. Larger systems with more service connections appear in more rankings.