Total Coliform Rule (TCR) in drinking water
2 active public water systems in 1 state had a Total Coliform Rule (TCR) violation in the past three years.
You are on Tapcensus, an independent guide to the EPA compliance records of every public water system in the United States. This page explains Total Coliform Rule (TCR) and lists the water systems whose records include a related violation. It does not show measured levels.
Is Total Coliform Rule (TCR) 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.
Enter a ZIP code, town, or street address.
What it is and where it comes from
The original 1989 rule required routine testing for coliform bacteria as a safety net for the entire distribution system. Largely replaced by the Revised Total Coliform Rule (RTCR) in 2016. Violations under this code reflect the period when the old rule applied.
Health effects
Coliform bacteria themselves are usually not harmful, but their presence signals that fecal contamination pathways exist — meaning viruses, parasites, or disease-causing bacteria could also be present.
The standard and what a violation means
EPA limit: Zero (≤5% of monthly samples may be total coliform-positive for systems ≥40 samples/month).
Water systems with a Total Coliform Rule (TCR) 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 | In violation, latest quarter |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 2 | 0% | 0 |
Largest water systems with a Total Coliform Rule (TCR) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Nunda Village Nunda (v) · Livingston County |
1,600 | 2 | 0 | |
|
Eagle Crest Vineyards Conesus (t) · Livingston County |
25 | 1 | 0 |
About this data
A system is counted once if any of its violations in the past three years involved Total Coliform Rule (TCR), including monitoring and reporting lapses. Rules violated and status in the systems table are for the whole system, not Total Coliform Rule (TCR) 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.