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Community Water System · PWS NC0136386

Hickory Creek/ Starrland W/S

Cary, North Carolina 27511 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 528 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

528
People served
171
EPA violations
4
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 171 drinking-water violations at Hickory Creek/ Starrland W/S, 2% of them health-based - above the North Carolina per-system average.

171
Total EPA violations on record
2%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
528
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Hickory Creek/ Starrland W/S

Hickory Creek/ Starrland W/S is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 528 residents in Cary, North Carolina (Gaston County) through 208 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 171 total violations for this system , of which 4 (2%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 163 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 Nickel, recorded in 4 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 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. Statewide, 174 of 287 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (60.6%).

Hickory Creek/ Starrland W/S's 171 violations sit above the North Carolina 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
528
Total Violations
171
Health-Based Violations
4
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
208
County
Gaston
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
163
Treatment Tech Violations
4

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Nickel MR 4 2000
Antimony, Total MR 4 2000
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 4 2025
Selenium MR 4 2000
CYANIDE MR 4 2000
Chlordane MR 4 2000
ETHYLENE DIBROMIDE MR 4 2000
Pentachlorophenol MR 4 2000
Benzo(a)pyrene MR 4 2000
HEXACHLOROBENZENE MR 4 2000
2,4,5-TP MR 4 2000
Simazine MR 4 2000
OXAMYL MR 4 2000
Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 4 2000
Arsenic MR 4 2000
BHC-GAMMA MR 4 2000
Toxaphene MR 4 2000
Methoxychlor MR 4 2000
Heptachlor epoxide MR 4 2000
Heptachlor MR 4 2000
Cadmium MR 4 2000
Atrazine MR 4 2000
Aldicarb MR 4 2000
Aldicarb sulfone MR 4 2000
Aldicarb sulfoxide MR 4 2000
Hexachlorocyclopentadiene MR 4 2000
Barium MR 4 2000
Carbofuran MR 4 2000
Beryllium, Total MR 4 2000
Lead and Copper Rule TT 4 1994

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 Hickory Creek/ Starrland W/S.

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 NC0136386 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 Hickory Creek/ Starrland W/S 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
2025 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 4 SDWIS / NC0136386 / 7000
2001 Nitrate MR 3 SDWIS / NC0136386 / 1040
2000 Nickel MR 4 SDWIS / NC0136386 / 1036
2000 Antimony, Total MR 4 SDWIS / NC0136386 / 1074
2000 Selenium MR 4 SDWIS / NC0136386 / 1045
2000 CYANIDE MR 4 SDWIS / NC0136386 / 1024
2000 Chlordane MR 4 SDWIS / NC0136386 / 2959
2000 ETHYLENE DIBROMIDE MR 4 SDWIS / NC0136386 / 2946
2000 Pentachlorophenol MR 4 SDWIS / NC0136386 / 2326
2000 Benzo(a)pyrene MR 4 SDWIS / NC0136386 / 2306
2000 HEXACHLOROBENZENE MR 4 SDWIS / NC0136386 / 2274
2000 2,4,5-TP MR 4 SDWIS / NC0136386 / 2110
2000 Simazine MR 4 SDWIS / NC0136386 / 2037
2000 OXAMYL MR 4 SDWIS / NC0136386 / 2036
2000 Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 4 SDWIS / NC0136386 / 2035

How Hickory Creek/ Starrland W/S Compares

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

Metric Hickory Creek/ Starrland W/S North Carolina avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 171 104.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 4 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 528 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 (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 Hickory Creek/ Starrland W/S water safe to drink? ▼
Hickory Creek/ Starrland W/S (PWS ID: NC0136386) has 171 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 528 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Hickory Creek/ Starrland W/S serve? ▼
Hickory Creek/ Starrland W/S serves 528 people in Cary, North Carolina. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 208 service connections.
What type of violations does Hickory Creek/ Starrland W/S have? ▼
Hickory Creek/ Starrland W/S has 171 total violations: 4 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 163 monitoring/reporting violations, and 4 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Hickory Creek/ Starrland W/S water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Hickory Creek/ Starrland W/S under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Hickory Creek/ Starrland W/S use? ▼
Hickory Creek/ Starrland W/S 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.