PlainWater

CATAWBA, TOWN OF

PWS ID: NC0118040 · HICKORY, North Carolina 28603

CATAWBA, TOWN OF serves 1,181 people in HICKORY, North Carolina using Surface Water water sources. It has 13 recorded EPA violations, including 5 health-based violations. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing.

Water Quality Snapshot: CATAWBA, TOWN OF

CATAWBA, TOWN OF is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 1,181 residents in HICKORY, North Carolina (Catawba County) through 480 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 13 total violations for this system , of which 5 (38%) are health-based — meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 3 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2007.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is TTHM, recorded in 5 violations (MCL, health-based). 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. CATAWBA, TOWN OF's 13 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.

Population Served
1,181
Total Violations
13
Health-Based Violations
5
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
480
County
Catawba
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
5
Monitoring Violations
3
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
TTHM MCL 5 2006
Public Notice Other 2 2007
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 1980
Gross Beta Particle Activity MR 1 1980
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 1 2006
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 1 1980

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 CATAWBA, TOWN OF.

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 NC0118040 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

North Carolina Drinking Water Authority

North Carolina DEQ — Public Water Supply Section is the primacy agency that licenses and inspects CATAWBA, TOWN OF under EPA-delegated authority.

Open NC regulator portal

Source: North Carolina DEQ — Public Water Supply Section

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
2007 Public Notice Other 2 SDWIS / NC0118040 / 7500
2006 TTHM MCL 5 SDWIS / NC0118040 / 2950
2006 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 1 SDWIS / NC0118040 / 7000
1980 Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 SDWIS / NC0118040 / 4000
1980 Gross Beta Particle Activity MR 1 SDWIS / NC0118040 / 4100
1980 Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 1 SDWIS / NC0118040 / 4010

How CATAWBA, TOWN OF Compares

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

Metric CATAWBA, TOWN OF North Carolina avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 13 104.4 SDWA compliance — any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 5 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 1,181 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 CATAWBA, TOWN OF water safe to drink?
CATAWBA, TOWN OF (PWS ID: NC0118040) has 13 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 1,181 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does CATAWBA, TOWN OF serve?
CATAWBA, TOWN OF serves 1,181 people in HICKORY, North Carolina. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 480 service connections.
What type of violations does CATAWBA, TOWN OF have?
CATAWBA, TOWN OF has 13 total violations: 5 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 3 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in CATAWBA, TOWN OF water?
No PFAS testing data is available for CATAWBA, TOWN OF under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does CATAWBA, TOWN OF use?
CATAWBA, TOWN OF uses Surface Water 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.

Explore PlainWater

Data Sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), Q4 2025. This data is provided for informational purposes only.

Related

Data sourced from $official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by Kiznis Studio Editorial