PlainWater
Counties → North Carolina

McDowell County, North Carolina

Water Systems
96
Population Served
27,653
Total Violations
10,183
364 health-based
PFAS Detected
1
of 2 tested

Violation Analysis

93.8%
Systems with Violations
106.1
Avg Violations per System
3.6%
Health-Based Violations

Water Source Types

GW
48 systems (50%)
SW
2 systems (2%)

PFAS Contamination

2
Systems Tested
1
PFAS Detected
50.0%
Detection Rate

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are persistent chemicals found in drinking water. The EPA has set enforceable limits for several PFAS compounds under UCMR5 monitoring.

Compliance Snapshot

McDowell North Carolina water systems by violation status, EPA SDWIS records.

No violations on record (4) One or more violations (46)

Violation history is cumulative, many flagged systems have already returned to compliance. Detail pages show per-system context.

Water Systems

System Name Population Violations PFAS
Marion, City Of 9,362 46 Clean
Baxter Health Care Corp 2,450 11 -
Old Fort, Town Of 1,700 49 Detected
McDowell Co--Nebo 902 31 -
Riverside Convenience Store 500 32 -
New North Cove Elem School 450 27 -
West Marion Elem School 449 214 -
Riverside MHP 399 335 -
Black Bear Development 343 2 -
Marion Moose Lodge 320 692 -
Woodlawn Heights Water System 315 111 -
Little Switzerland Comm Assoc 300 75 -
Mecklenburg Scout Camp 300 29 -
Columbia Carolina Division 300 195 -
Coats American 290 20 -
Deer Park Health & Rehab. 290 304 -
K G`s Quick Stop 250 19 -
Marion Lake Club 250 14 -
Zion Hill Baptist Church 225 149 -
Stuckey`s 200 23 -
Camp Grier 200 153 -
Linville Falls Lodge 200 140 -
Cherry Springs Baptist Church 200 23 -
Providence UMC 200 119 -
Lake James State Park - Catawba 200 17 -
Spacious Skies Hidden Creek Office 200 29 -
Spacious Skies Hidden Creek Deluxe Tents 200 45 -
Dollar General #15706 200 5 -
Dollar General #14888 200 0 -
Woodlawn Roadside Park 200 0 -
Spacious Skies Hidden Creek Pavillion 200 0 -
Spacious Skies Hidden Creek Overlook 200 0 -
Dollar General #18037 200 15 -
Marion Moose Lodge-Mountain 160 198 -
Bethel Baptist Church 150 31 -
Bethel Fwb Church 150 48 -
Rocky Pass Fwb Church 150 57 -
Nealsville Church of God 150 49 -
Victory Temple Full Gospel Ch 150 10 -
Bakers Market & Tire Service 150 27 -
Dysartsville Chevron/Restaurant 150 22 -
Living Waters Tabernacle 150 12 -
Bear Den Acres 140 11 -
Lucky Strike Miners Diner 137 129 -
Mt Paradise Campground 135 55 -
Linville Falls Club 127 306 -
Salem Fwb Church 125 12 -
Buck Creek RV Park 125 5 -
New Horizon Fellowship Church 125 14 -
Orchard at Altapass, The 125 14 -

Other Counties in North Carolina

Mecklenburg County
61 systems · 1,181,269 served · 8,081 violations
Wake County
437 systems · 1,145,508 served · 42,422 violations
Guilford County
202 systems · 489,022 served · 30,107 violations
Forsyth County
19 systems · 392,063 served · 2,199 violations
Cumberland County
90 systems · 349,358 served · 9,862 violations
Durham County
50 systems · 329,624 served · 6,257 violations

Drinking Water Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many water violations are in McDowell County? ▼
McDowell County has 10,183 total drinking water violations across 96 water systems, of which 364 are health-based violations. 93.8% of systems have at least one violation.
How many people get water from McDowell County systems? ▼
Water systems in McDowell County serve approximately 27,653 people through 96 public water systems.
Has PFAS been detected in McDowell County water? ▼
Of 2 water systems tested for PFAS in McDowell County, 1 had PFAS detected (50.0% detection rate).
What types of water sources supply McDowell County? ▼
Water systems in McDowell County use GW (48 systems), SW (2 systems) as their primary water sources.
Are health-based violations serious? ▼
Health-based violations indicate that drinking water exceeded Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) set by the EPA or failed treatment technique requirements. 3.6% of McDowell County's violations are health-based. Not all violations indicate immediate health risk, but they require corrective action.
Data Sources & Methodology

Drinking water violation data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). PFAS testing data from the UCMR5 monitoring program. SDWIS tracks all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Violations are categorized as health-based (Maximum Contaminant Level exceedances, treatment technique failures) or monitoring/reporting violations. Not all violations indicate an immediate health risk.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 PFAS monitoring data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainWater Editorial

Every figure on PlainWater is rendered directly from EPA SDWIS drinking-water data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on EPA SDWIS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.