Public water system · NC0150169
ActiveBig Sheep Cliff
At a glance
Big Sheep Cliff (PWSID NC0150169) is an active community water system in Jackson County, North Carolina. It reports serving 175 people through 69 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as privately owned. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2024.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
175
Service connections
69
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Big Sheep Cliff compare with other water systems in Jackson County?
By EPA's size categories, Big Sheep Cliff is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Jackson County has 111 active public water systems. Its population served is about half of the county average of 319 people per system, and accounts for 0.5% of the 35,403 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 Big Sheep Cliff 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 Big Sheep Cliff?
EPA lists Big Sheep Cliff 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. 103 of the 111 active systems in Jackson County (93%) are also privately owned.
Does Big Sheep Cliff have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2024. The violations listed here began between July 2024 and July 2024. By type: 12 monitoring and reporting. The contaminants or rules involved are Carbon tetrachloride, Tetrachloroethylene, Benzene and Trichloroethylene. EPA lists 12 as resolved. 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.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Carbon tetrachloridecode 2982 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Tetrachloroethylenecode 2987 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Benzenecode 2990 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Trichloroethylenecode 2984 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,1,2-Trichloroethanecode 2985 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,1,1-Trichloroethanecode 2981 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Chlorobenzenecode 2989 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Dichloromethanecode 2964 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Styrenecode 2996 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,2-Dichloroethanecode 2980 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | cis-1,2-Dichloroethylenecode 2380 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | p-Dichlorobenzenecode 2969 | No | Resolved |
The 12 most recent 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.
Big Sheep Cliff: frequently asked questions
Who runs Big Sheep Cliff?
Big Sheep Cliff (PWSID NC0150169) is a community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the NC state drinking water program.
How many people does Big Sheep Cliff serve?
Big Sheep Cliff reports serving 175 people through 69 service connections in Jackson County, North Carolina.
Where does Big Sheep Cliff 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 Big Sheep Cliff have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 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 Big Sheep Cliff's 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. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 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 Big Sheep Cliff's water quality report?
As a community water system, Big Sheep Cliff 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 Jackson County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Carolina Univ WTP | Jackson | 7,800 | Community | Surface water |
| Tuckaseigee Water & Sewer Auth | Jackson | 7,528 | Community | Surface water |
| Fairfield Sapphire | Jackson | 3,873 | Community | Groundwater |
| Whiteside Brewing Company | Jackson | 850 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Hh Water, LLC | Jackson | 770 | Community | Groundwater |
| Great Smoky Mountain Camp & Rv Park | Jackson | 638 | 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, “Big Sheep Cliff, PWSID NC0150169, North Carolina”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/north-carolina/big-sheep-cliff-nc0150169 (data as of October 1, 2026).