Is Chatham Co-SW Chatham water safe to drink?

Chatham Co-SW Chatham (PWS ID: NC0319050) has 303 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. EPA SDWIS lists this system's service population as 2,470 people using Surface Water sources.

How many people does Chatham Co-SW Chatham serve?

EPA SDWIS reports that Chatham Co-SW Chatham serves 2,470 people (this public water system's service population, not the municipal population of Sanford or any other city). It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 988 service connections. The operator address is listed in Sanford, North Carolina.

What type of violations does Chatham Co-SW Chatham have?

Chatham Co-SW Chatham has 303 total violations: 223 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 53 monitoring/reporting violations, and 2 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.

Has PFAS been detected in Chatham Co-SW Chatham water?

No PFAS testing data is available for Chatham Co-SW Chatham under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.

What water source does Chatham Co-SW Chatham use?

Chatham Co-SW Chatham 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.

Where does Chatham Co-SW Chatham sit among U.S. public water systems?

According to EPA SDWIS population_served among sitemap-advertised systems (serving 500+), Chatham Co-SW Chatham ranks #12,061 of 29,740 by people served, and #331 of 713 in North Carolina. Ordinals use population_served DESC among systems serving 500+ (the sitemap cohort). See /methodology#corpus-placement.

How does Chatham Co-SW Chatham's violation count compare nationally?

Chatham Co-SW Chatham has 303 recorded EPA SDWIS violations, fewer than 9% of the 29,740 public water systems serving 500 or more people nationwide (the same sitemap cohort used for the corpus-placement ranking above). 91% of that cohort has fewer violations than Chatham Co-SW Chatham. A system can have zero recorded violations and still be actively monitored, and a high violation count often reflects a system that reports thoroughly, not necessarily one with worse water.

States → North Carolina

Community Water System · PWS NC0319050

Chatham Co-SW Chatham

Operator location Sanford, North Carolina - 74% of 303 violations are health-based (upper-third health share (> 23%)); surface water source; 2,470 served per SDWIS.

Compiled by PlainWater · May 15, 2026

2,470
People served (this PWS) Middle third of systems: 303
EPA violations (this PWS) Upper third of systems: 223
Health-based (this PWS) Upper third by health-based share: Untested
UCMR5 (this PWS) No UCMR5 result

Follow published updates (RSS)

Chatham Co-SW Chatham standing, high SDWIS violation third

74% of 303 recorded violations are health-based - upper-third health share (> 23%). Corpus terciles use 29,740 systems serving 500+ (the sitemap cohort). Health-based share 74% is upper-third health share (> 23%). Population rank #12,061 of 29,740 among systems serving 500+.

The verdict

Chatham Co-SW Chatham sits in the upper third of the sitemap cohort by violation count (303), so the tables below sample a dense compliance trail rather than a near-clean ledger. Population served is mid-pack at 2,470 (mid served population (≤ 3,309)). Health-based share is 74% - most of this ledger is MCL or treatment-technique exceedance. No UCMR5 PFAS test appears for this system in this extract.

#12,061 of 29,740
Population · /systems: #331 of 713
Population · NC: 303
Total EPA violations on record: 74%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)

Population ordinals match the sitemap cohort (systems serving 500+, population_served DESC). See methodology · corpus placement.

Water Safety Score

8/100

Chatham Co-SW Chatham

Based on EPA SDWIS violation history and UCMR5 PFAS testing only, not water taste, odor, infrastructure age, or contaminants outside the federally tracked set.

Health-based violations F

223

EPA SDWIS health-based violations on record (MCL, MRDL, treatment technique)

Monitoring & reporting violations F

Non-health SDWIS violations (monitoring, reporting, and other compliance)

PFAS contamination N/A

Not UCMR5-tested

Highest PFAS compound level detected in UCMR5 testing

System Details

System Type: Community
Owner Type: Local
Connections: 988
County: Chatham
School/Daycare: No
MCL Violations: 221
Monitoring Violations: 53
Treatment Tech Violations: 2

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant	Category	Count	Latest
TTHM	MCL	133	2012
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	MCL	88	2012
Coliform (TCR)	MR	26	2005
Public Notice	Other	22	2011
Lead and Copper Rule	MR	10	2009
TTHM	MR	9	2020
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	MR	8	2020
Consumer Confidence Rule	Other	2	2005
LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS	TT	2	2024
LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS	RPT	2	2024

Violation Count vs. the National Corpus

Chatham Co-SW Chatham has 303 recorded EPA violations, 91% of the 29,740 public water systems serving 500+ people nationwide carry fewer, and 9% carry more. 74% of this system's own violations are health-based (223 of 303), and it ranks #12,061 of 29,740 by population served among that same cohort.

EPA violations vs. the national water-system corpus

Public water systems serving 500+ people (EPA SDWIS)

303 Higher than most more violations than 91% of 29,740 water systems

the national water-system corpus, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more water systems. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source EPA SDWIS · 2026-05-15

How many violations vs. how serious, among peer systems

Chatham Co-SW Chatham plotted against 29 peer public water systems (500+ people served), by total violation count (x) and the share of those violations that are health-based (y). The crosshair sits at this sample's own median on each axis. A high violation count does not automatically mean a serious record: most monitoring and reporting violations are minor, not health-based.

30 public water systems (500+ people served), EPA SDWIS current release.

How to read this

Each dot is one public water system; the highlighted dot is Chatham Co-SW Chatham. A system to the right has more recorded violations; a system higher up has a larger share of those violations classified health-based rather than monitoring or reporting.

Rare but serious: few violations, but most of them are health-based.
Frequent, mostly paperwork: many violations, but mostly monitoring or reporting, not health-based.
Clean record: below-median on both counts, the tinted corner.

View all 30 systems as a list

City of Ballinger: 372 violations, 85% health-based
Chatham Co-SW Chatham: 303 violations, 74% health-based (this system)
Nooksack Valley Water Association: 16 violations, 31% health-based
Montgomery Co RWD 12: 7 violations, 29% health-based
Irvin Water District #6: 11 violations, 27% health-based
Ticonderoga WD: 47 violations, 26% health-based
Pine Valley Plantation: 37 violations, 24% health-based
McLouth, City Of: 29 violations, 17% health-based
Kipling Oaks 1: 25 violations, 16% health-based
South Deerfield Water Supply District: 96 violations, 16% health-based
Sunset Ridge Water District: 82 violations, 15% health-based
Orange Water Dept: 136 violations, 14% health-based
Mount Pleasant Water Sys #1: 167 violations, 11% health-based
Lake Gibson Estates: 42 violations, 2% health-based
Benson Culinary Improvement District: 212 violations, 1% health-based
Conemaugh Twp Muni Auth: 567 violations, 1% health-based
Miccosukee Service Plaza: 0 violations, 0% health-based
Brazoria - Fort Bend Counties MUD 3: 0 violations, 0% health-based
Tanglewilde Thompson Place 600: 2 violations, 0% health-based
Center Water Co: 5 violations, 0% health-based
Spring Mills Elem School/Hvs: 9 violations, 0% health-based
Great Bend Industrial Park: 14 violations, 0% health-based
Glen Park Village: 19 violations, 0% health-based
Camp Is-Sho-Da: 22 violations, 0% health-based
Hamilton: 33 violations, 0% health-based
Town of Welaka: 54 violations, 0% health-based
Township of Blairstown Dpw: 61 violations, 0% health-based
McIntosh Water & Fire Pro Authority: 71 violations, 0% health-based
Clarkdale Municipal Water System: 114 violations, 0% health-based
Eureka Water Association: 273 violations, 0% health-based

Health-based violations on Chatham Co-SW Chatham

223 health-based rows in the tables above map to MCL or treatment-technique exceedances, verify each contaminant code on the federal SDWIS report for NC0319050.

EPA SDWIS · PWS NC0319050 NC primacy agency

Sources: EPA SDWIS · North Carolina DEQ, Public Water Supply Section

Nationwide peers

303 violations · 2,470 served: nearest cross-state SDWIS matches.

Cross-state systems with comparable violation load

Nearest cross-state community systems (500+ served) by total SDWIS violations on record.

4 peers

Cross-state systems near this population served

Nearest cross-state systems by EPA SDWIS population_served (same 500+ sitemap gate).

4 peers

What to do with Chatham Co-SW Chatham

Use this system's EPA-reported record as a starting filter, not a final verdict.

See how every tracked system in North Carolina compares on the same EPA violation measures. North Carolina systems
Check whether PFAS was detected at this system under UCMR5 testing. PFAS guide
Find and compare another public water system by name or PWSID. Search systems

EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 figures are informational only, not a substitute for a certified lab test of your own tap water.

Data sourced from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 PFAS monitoring data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainWater

Compiled by PlainWater, Drinking Water Quality Editorial Process · May 15, 2026

Every figure on PlainWater is rendered directly from EPA SDWIS drinking-water data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.