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MILL RIDGE POA

PWS ID: NC0195115 · BANNER ELK, North Carolina 28604

MILL RIDGE POA serves 427 people in BANNER ELK, North Carolina using Groundwater water sources. It has 78 recorded EPA violations, including 10 health-based violations. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing.

Water Quality Snapshot: MILL RIDGE POA

MILL RIDGE POA is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 427 residents in BANNER ELK, North Carolina (Watauga County) through 171 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 78 total violations for this system , of which 10 (13%) are health-based — meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 43 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 Lead and Copper Rule, recorded in 11 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. MILL RIDGE POA's 78 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
427
Total Violations
78
Health-Based Violations
10
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
171
County
Watauga
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
43
Treatment Tech Violations
10

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Lead and Copper Rule MR 11 2022
Lead and Copper Rule TT 8 2003
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 8 2022
Coliform (TCR) MR 6 1997
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 6 1986
LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS TT 2 2024
Mercury MR 2 1980
Gross Beta Particle Activity MR 2 1980
Arsenic MR 2 1980
Cadmium MR 2 1980
Fluoride MR 2 1980
Selenium MR 2 1980
LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS RPT 2 2024
Chromium MR 2 1980
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 2 1980
Barium MR 2 1980
Nitrate MR 2 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 MILL RIDGE POA.

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 NC0195115 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 MILL RIDGE POA 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
2024 LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS TT 2 SDWIS / NC0195115 / 5200
2024 LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS RPT 2 SDWIS / NC0195115 / 5200
2022 Lead and Copper Rule MR 11 SDWIS / NC0195115 / 5000
2022 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 8 SDWIS / NC0195115 / 7000
2003 Lead and Copper Rule TT 8 SDWIS / NC0195115 / 5000
1997 Coliform (TCR) MR 6 SDWIS / NC0195115 / 3100
1986 Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 6 SDWIS / NC0195115 / 4000
1980 Mercury MR 2 SDWIS / NC0195115 / 1035
1980 Gross Beta Particle Activity MR 2 SDWIS / NC0195115 / 4100
1980 Arsenic MR 2 SDWIS / NC0195115 / 1005
1980 Cadmium MR 2 SDWIS / NC0195115 / 1015
1980 Fluoride MR 2 SDWIS / NC0195115 / 1025
1980 Selenium MR 2 SDWIS / NC0195115 / 1045
1980 Chromium MR 2 SDWIS / NC0195115 / 1020
1980 Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 2 SDWIS / NC0195115 / 4010

How MILL RIDGE POA Compares

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

Metric MILL RIDGE POA North Carolina avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 78 104.4 SDWA compliance — any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 10 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 427 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 MILL RIDGE POA water safe to drink? ▼
MILL RIDGE POA (PWS ID: NC0195115) has 78 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 427 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does MILL RIDGE POA serve? ▼
MILL RIDGE POA serves 427 people in BANNER ELK, North Carolina. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 171 service connections.
What type of violations does MILL RIDGE POA have? ▼
MILL RIDGE POA has 78 total violations: 10 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 43 monitoring/reporting violations, and 10 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in MILL RIDGE POA water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for MILL RIDGE POA under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does MILL RIDGE POA use? ▼
MILL RIDGE POA 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.

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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.

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