PlainWater
States → Georgia

Community Water System · PWS GA1230074

Carters Lake Estates

Ellijay, Georgia 30540 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 148 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

148
People served
179
EPA violations
16
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 179 drinking-water violations at Carters Lake Estates, 9% of them health-based - above the Georgia per-system average.

179
Total EPA violations on record
9%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
148
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Carters Lake Estates

Carters Lake Estates is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 148 residents in Ellijay, Georgia (Gilmer County) through 57 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 179 total violations for this system , of which 16 (9%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 142 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2025.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 29 violations (MR). This system has not yet been sampled under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, so no PFAS detection data is available here.

Across Georgia, EPA tracks 2,382 public water systems serving 10,694,477 people, with 108,966 cumulative violations and 12,032 health-based violations on record. About 92% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 45.7 violations. Statewide, 102 of 254 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (40.2%).

Carters Lake Estates's 179 violations sit above the Georgia average.

All figures above are sourced directly from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 public data releases and are updated as EPA publishes new reporting cycles.

Population Served
148
Total Violations
179
Health-Based Violations
16
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
57
County
Gilmer
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
16
Monitoring Violations
142
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 29 2015
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 26 2025
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 19 2020
Coliform (TCR) MCL 16 2015
Lead and Copper Rule MR 15 2023
E. COLI MR 10 2021
Nitrate MR 6 2003
Arsenic MR 4 2017
Barium MR 4 2017
Chromium MR 4 2017
CYANIDE MR 4 2017
Fluoride MR 4 2017
Nickel MR 4 2017
Antimony, Total MR 4 2017
Beryllium, Total MR 4 2017
Selenium MR 4 2017
TTHM MR 4 2020
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 4 2020
Mercury MR 4 2017
Thallium, Total MR 4 2017
Cadmium MR 4 2017
Public Notice Other 2 2021

Verify This Water System

The figures above are aggregated from EPA's public databases. To verify the underlying records, or to file a complaint, request a Consumer Confidence Report, or check current monitoring status, go directly to the federal and state regulators that enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act for Carters Lake Estates.

Federal Source of Truth

EPA SDWIS, Federal Reports

EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) holds the federal compliance record for every regulated public water system. Open the system-level report by PWS ID:

View PWS ID GA1230074 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Georgia Drinking Water Authority

Georgia EPD, Drinking Water Program is the primacy agency that licenses and inspects Carters Lake Estates under EPA-delegated authority.

Open GA regulator portal

Source: Georgia EPD, Drinking Water Program

Violation Timeline

Each row links to the EPA SDWIS public record for verification. Cross-reference the contaminant code on EPA's federal report to see violation dates, return-to-compliance status, and enforcement actions.

Year (latest) Contaminant Category Count EPA Record
2025 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 26 SDWIS / GA1230074 / 8000
2023 Lead and Copper Rule MR 15 SDWIS / GA1230074 / 5000
2021 E. COLI MR 10 SDWIS / GA1230074 / 3014
2021 Public Notice Other 2 SDWIS / GA1230074 / 7500
2020 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 19 SDWIS / GA1230074 / 7000
2020 TTHM MR 4 SDWIS / GA1230074 / 2950
2020 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 4 SDWIS / GA1230074 / 2456
2017 Arsenic MR 4 SDWIS / GA1230074 / 1005
2017 Barium MR 4 SDWIS / GA1230074 / 1010
2017 Chromium MR 4 SDWIS / GA1230074 / 1020
2017 CYANIDE MR 4 SDWIS / GA1230074 / 1024
2017 Fluoride MR 4 SDWIS / GA1230074 / 1025
2017 Nickel MR 4 SDWIS / GA1230074 / 1036
2017 Antimony, Total MR 4 SDWIS / GA1230074 / 1074
2017 Beryllium, Total MR 4 SDWIS / GA1230074 / 1075

How Carters Lake Estates Compares

Cross-reference this system's record against state averages and the federal MCL framework for context.

Metric Carters Lake Estates Georgia avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 179 45.7 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 16 5.1 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 40.2% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 148 4,490 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 2,382 regulated public water systems in Georgia.

Federal MCL reference, Safe Drinking Water Act thresholds ▼
Contaminant Federal MCL / Action Level Note
Lead 0 mg/L (Action Level: 0.015 mg/L) Lead and Copper Rule treatment technique
Arsenic 0.010 mg/L (10 ppb) Health-based MCL since 2006
Total Coliform Treatment technique (RTCR) Indicator organism, monitoring trigger
PFOA / PFOS (PFAS) 4.0 ppt each (final 2024 rule) Compliance deadline 2029 (EPA proposed extending to 2031, not yet final as of May 2026)
Nitrate (as N) 10 mg/L Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Carters Lake Estates water safe to drink? ▼
Carters Lake Estates (PWS ID: GA1230074) has 179 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 148 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Carters Lake Estates serve? ▼
Carters Lake Estates serves 148 people in Ellijay, Georgia. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 57 service connections.
What type of violations does Carters Lake Estates have? ▼
Carters Lake Estates has 179 total violations: 16 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 142 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Carters Lake Estates water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Carters Lake Estates under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Carters Lake Estates use? ▼
Carters Lake Estates uses Groundwater as its primary water source. It is classified as a Community Water System (CWS), serving residential populations year-round.
Where does this data come from? ▼
All data comes from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and the UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program. SDWIS tracks compliance for all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Data Sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), Q4 2025. This data is provided for informational purposes only.

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 system's figures are rendered directly from 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.