Picloram in drinking water
1,183 active public water systems in 40 states had a Picloram violation in the past three years, and 59 have one that is still unresolved.
You are on Tapcensus, an independent guide to the EPA compliance records of every public water system in the United States. This page explains Picloram and lists the water systems whose records include a related violation. It does not show measured levels.
Is Picloram in the records for your water system?
Enter a ZIP code, town, or street address to see the water systems that serve your area, their status, and which rules and contaminants appear in their violations.
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What it is and where it comes from
Picloram is a systemic pyridine herbicide used to control broadleaf weeds and woody plants on rangeland, pasture, rights-of-way, and forestry sites. It remains in active use in the United States. Picloram is highly water-soluble and mobile in soil, persistent in the environment, and prone to leaching into groundwater and entering surface water through agricultural runoff.
Health effects
Chronic exposure to picloram is associated with liver damage in animal studies. EPA classifies it as a possible human carcinogen (Group C). The general population faces chronic risk from prolonged exposure above the MCL, particularly in agricultural regions where it is applied to rangeland and rights-of-way.
The standard and what a violation means
EPA limit: 0.5 mg/L (500 ppb).
Water systems with a Picloram violation, by state
Active public water systems that reported at least one related violation to EPA in the past three years. Each state links to the list of its affected systems.
| State | Systems with violations, 3 yr | Share of active systems | Unresolved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 195 | 3% | 7 |
| New York | 120 | 1% | 1 |
| Oklahoma | 100 | 8% | 0 |
| Texas | 84 | 1% | 0 |
| Oregon | 73 | 3% | 3 |
| Washington | 45 | 1% | 9 |
| Colorado | 39 | 2% | 5 |
| Idaho | 37 | 2% | 3 |
| Illinois | 37 | 1% | 10 |
| Montana | 37 | 2% | 1 |
| West Virginia | 35 | 5% | 3 |
| Connecticut | 30 | 1% | 1 |
| Utah | 29 | 3% | 1 |
| California | 28 | 0% | 1 |
| Indiana | 27 | 1% | 2 |
| Michigan | 26 | 0% | 0 |
| Alaska | 25 | 2% | 0 |
| Alabama | 25 | 4% | 0 |
| Wyoming | 24 | 3% | 1 |
| Vermont | 22 | 2% | 3 |
| Missouri | 19 | 1% | 1 |
| Wisconsin | 19 | 0% | 0 |
| Nevada | 16 | 3% | 0 |
| Arizona | 14 | 1% | 1 |
| Iowa | 14 | 1% | 0 |
| Massachusetts | 13 | 1% | 1 |
| North Carolina | 8 | 0% | 1 |
| New Jersey | 8 | 0% | 2 |
| Rhode Island | 8 | 2% | 0 |
| Maine | 6 | 0% | 0 |
| Minnesota | 6 | 0% | 2 |
| South Dakota | 3 | 0% | 0 |
| Virginia | 3 | 0% | 0 |
| North Dakota | 2 | 1% | 0 |
| Florida | 1 | 0% | 0 |
| Kentucky | 1 | 0% | 0 |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 0% | 0 |
| New Mexico | 1 | 0% | 0 |
| Ohio | 1 | 0% | 0 |
| Tennessee | 1 | 0% | 0 |
Largest water systems with a Picloram violation
The ten biggest systems, by people served, whose records include a related violation in the past three years.
| System | Serves | Status | Rules violated, 3 yr | Unresolved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Denver Water Board Denver County |
1,287,000 | 3 | 0 | |
|
Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Auth Allegheny County |
520,000 | 3 | 0 | |
|
Gilbert, Town of Gilbert · Maricopa County |
247,600 | 9 | 1 | |
|
Corona, City of Corona · Riverside County |
169,380 | 6 | 0 | |
|
City of Sunnyvale Sunnyvale · Santa Clara County |
157,566 | 5 | 0 | |
|
Epcor Agua Fria Surprise · Maricopa County |
128,040 | 5 | 0 | |
|
Pasco Water Department Franklin County |
115,102 | 2 | 0 | |
|
Inima USA / Aquaria LLC Dighton · Bristol County |
105,643 | 1 | 0 | |
|
Lehi City Utah County |
93,446 | 2 | 0 | |
|
Aqua WSC Bastrop County |
86,325 | 5 | 1 |
About this data
A system is counted once if any of its violations in the past three years involved Picloram, including monitoring and reporting lapses. Rules violated and status in the systems table are for the whole system, not Picloram alone. Counts cover active systems in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Source: the U.S. EPA's Enforcement and Compliance History Online system (ECHO), which publishes the federal Safe Drinking Water Information System. EPA's terms and values are shown as published. The records are from EPA's data refresh of Oct 7, 2026; EPA refreshes this data quarterly, and states report to EPA with a lag of three to six months, so the newest violations may not appear yet.