Is Box Elder, SD tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 4 utilities serving Box Elder has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s records: Box Elder.
Box Elder, which serves the most people here, has 2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 2.0 ppb, above the health goal. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
A town can be served by more than one utility, and some homes are on private wells. The name on your water bill tells you which is yours, and your ZIP code narrows it down. They are listed by how many people each serves in Box Elder’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Box Elder
South Dakota · serves 14,000 people · about 790 in Box Elder
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 2.0 ppb, above the health goal.
9 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Ellsworth AFB
South Dakota · serves 9,100 people · about 300 in Box Elder
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 1.0 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Rapid Valley Sanitary District
South Dakota · serves 11,408 people · under 100 in Box Elder
1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029, 1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: PFOS at 5.7 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Rapid City
South Dakota · serves 72,009 people · under 100 in Box Elder
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 6.0 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in Box Elder’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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Brita Tahoe Pitcher with Elite Filter (OB60, OB06)
Pitcher
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 13, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 53checked Oct. 13, 2026
Certified for: Lead
Brita Everyday Pitcher with Elite Filter (OB46, OB06)
Pitcher
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 13, 2026
Certified for: Lead
PUR PLUS 11-Cup Pitcher (PPT111W)
Pitcher
- NSF listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Lead
Water testing near Box Elder
The lab South Dakota certifies closest to Box Elder, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Mid Continent Testing Laboratory
Rapid City, SD · about 10 miles
Certified for bacteria, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts
South Dakota Public Health Laboratory: Sample bottles for testing a private well for bacteria and nitrate, lead, or a new-well panel, ordered online from the lab or picked up at a County Extension office. Instructions and fees come with the bottles. Test a Private Well, South Dakota Department of Health.
All 16 certified labs for South DakotaWhich ZIP codes are in Box Elder: Census 2020 relationship files. Which utilities serve them, and how many people: EPA SDWIS and EPA’s service area map. Each utility’s results: EPA UCMR 5, EPA SDWIS, and EPA’s and the state’s compliance monitoring, as its report lists them. How they are measured: methodology. Certified labs: South Dakota DANR, laboratories certified for the analysis of drinking water; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer.
Near Box Elder
Towns nearby with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Box Elder’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for LeadRanked by certification and what they cost over five years.The best water filters for lead, ranked
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water