Public water system · NC0156129
ActiveBear Den Acres
At a glance
Bear Den Acres (PWSID NC0156129) is an active community water system in McDowell County, North Carolina. It reports serving 140 people through 55 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as privately owned. EPA's records list 6 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2024.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
140
Service connections
55
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Bear Den Acres compare with other water systems in McDowell County?
By EPA's size categories, Bear Den Acres is a very small system (500 people or fewer). McDowell County has 94 active public water systems. Its population served is about half of the county average of 291 people per system, and accounts for 0.5% of the 27,345 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across North Carolina, the 5,087 active systems average 1,971 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Bear Den Acres is well below that figure.
What does “community water system” mean?
A community water system serves at least 15 connections used by year-round residents, or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. Homes, apartments and mobile-home parks are served by these. North Carolina has 2,031 active community water systems, 40% of the state's 5,087 active systems. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 4,566 North Carolina systems (90%) list groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Bear Den Acres?
EPA lists Bear Den Acres as privately owned. The NC state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 87 of the 94 active systems in McDowell County (93%) are also privately owned.
Does Bear Den Acres have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 6 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2024. The violations listed here began between January 1999 and July 2024. By type: 5 public notice, recordkeeping or other and 1 monitoring and reporting. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Consumer Confidence Rule (5 of them). EPA lists 5 as resolved and 1 as archived. Resolved means at least one resolving action is on record: the system returned to compliance, the rule no longer applies, or no further action was needed. Archived means the violation was not marked resolved but is more than five years past the end of the noncompliance period, so it no longer counts toward current compliance status.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2021-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2012-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2001-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 1999-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitritecode 1041 | No | Archived |
All 6 violations in EPA's records, newest first.Labels and codes come from EPA's SDWIS reference tables. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found. "Health-based" marks violations of a legal limit or required treatment.
Bear Den Acres: frequently asked questions
Who runs Bear Den Acres?
Bear Den Acres (PWSID NC0156129) is a community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the NC state drinking water program.
How many people does Bear Den Acres serve?
Bear Den Acres reports serving 140 people through 55 service connections in McDowell County, North Carolina.
Where does Bear Den Acres get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as groundwater. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers.
Does Bear Den Acres have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 6 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2024. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found.
Is Bear Den Acres' water safe to drink?
AquaCensus shows EPA compliance records, not current water test results, so it cannot say whether the water is safe at a given moment. EPA's records list 6 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2024. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the NC state drinking water program.
Where can I find Bear Den Acres' water quality report?
As a community water system, Bear Den Acres must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1 each year, covering the previous calendar year. The system can provide a copy on request.
Other water systems in McDowell County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion, City of | McDowell | 9,362 | Community | Surface water |
| Baxter Health Care Corp | McDowell | 2,450 | Non-transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Old Fort, Town of | McDowell | 1,700 | Community | Groundwater |
| Mcdowell Co--Nebo | McDowell | 902 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Riverside Convenience Store | McDowell | 500 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| New North Cove Elem School | McDowell | 450 | Non-transient non-community | Groundwater |
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About this data
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and SDWA violation records, via EPA ECHO, as published October 1, 2026 — AquaCensus refreshes it quarterly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: AquaCensus, “Bear Den Acres, PWSID NC0156129, North Carolina”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/north-carolina/bear-den-acres-nc0156129 (data as of October 1, 2026).