ROYAL GORGE WATER UTILITY
PWS ID: NC0111118 · RIDGECREST, North Carolina 28770
ROYAL GORGE WATER UTILITY serves 950 people in RIDGECREST, North Carolina using Groundwater water sources. It has 80 recorded EPA violations, including 0 health-based violations. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing.
Water Quality Snapshot: ROYAL GORGE WATER UTILITY
ROYAL GORGE WATER UTILITY is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 950 residents in RIDGECREST, North Carolina (Buncombe County) through 416 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 80 total violations for this system , of which 0 (0%) are health-based — meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 39 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2024.
The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Consumer Confidence Rule, recorded in 24 violations (Other). This system has not yet been sampled under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, so no PFAS detection data is available here.
Across North Carolina, EPA tracks 5,020 public water systems serving 9,877,724 people, with 524,053 cumulative violations and 38,492 health-based violations on record. About 93% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 104.4 violations. ROYAL GORGE WATER UTILITY's 80 violations sit below the North Carolina average. Statewide, 174 of 287 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (60.6%). All figures above are sourced directly from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 public data releases and are updated as EPA publishes new reporting cycles.
System Details
- System Type
- Community
- Owner Type
- Private
- Connections
- 416
- County
- Buncombe
- School/Daycare
- No
- MCL Violations
- 0
- Monitoring Violations
- 39
- Treatment Tech Violations
- 0
Violation History
Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.
| Contaminant | Category | Count | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Confidence Rule | Other | 24 | 2024 |
| Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) | MR | 17 | 2018 |
| TTHM | MR | 13 | 2018 |
| Lead and Copper Rule | MR | 9 | 2024 |
| Public Notice | Other | 3 | 2018 |
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 ROYAL GORGE WATER UTILITY.
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 NC0111118 on SDWISSource: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search
North Carolina Drinking Water Authority
North Carolina DEQ — Public Water Supply Section is the primacy agency that licenses and inspects ROYAL GORGE WATER UTILITY under EPA-delegated authority.
Open NC regulator portalViolation 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Consumer Confidence Rule | Other | 24 | SDWIS / NC0111118 / 7000 |
| 2024 | Lead and Copper Rule | MR | 9 | SDWIS / NC0111118 / 5000 |
| 2018 | Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) | MR | 17 | SDWIS / NC0111118 / 2456 |
| 2018 | TTHM | MR | 13 | SDWIS / NC0111118 / 2950 |
| 2018 | Public Notice | Other | 3 | SDWIS / NC0111118 / 7500 |
How ROYAL GORGE WATER UTILITY Compares
Cross-reference this system's record against state averages and the federal MCL framework for context.
| Metric | ROYAL GORGE WATER UTILITY | North Carolina avg | Federal benchmark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total violations | 80 | 104.4 | SDWA compliance — any non-zero count is a recorded breach |
| Health-based violations | 0 | 7.7 | Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL |
| PFAS detection | None | 60.6% | EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt |
| Population served | 950 | 1,968 | Sizing context for compliance burden |
Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 5,020 regulated public water systems in North Carolina.
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 |
| Nitrate (as N) | 10 mg/L | Acute health risk for infants |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ROYAL GORGE WATER UTILITY water safe to drink? ▼
How many people does ROYAL GORGE WATER UTILITY serve? ▼
What type of violations does ROYAL GORGE WATER UTILITY have? ▼
Has PFAS been detected in ROYAL GORGE WATER UTILITY water? ▼
What water source does ROYAL GORGE WATER UTILITY use? ▼
Where does this data come from? ▼
Explore PlainWater
Related Data for North Carolina
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.