Public water system · NC0114576
ActiveBuffalo Cove Mercantile
At a glance
Buffalo Cove Mercantile (PWSID NC0114576) is an active transient non-community water system in Caldwell County, North Carolina. It reports serving 50 people through 3 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as privately owned. EPA's records list 10 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2024.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
50
Service connections
3
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
TNCWS
Transient non-community water system
System record
How does Buffalo Cove Mercantile compare with other water systems in Caldwell County?
By EPA's size categories, Buffalo Cove Mercantile is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Caldwell County has 30 active public water systems. Its population served is well below the county average of 2,489 people per system, and accounts for less than 0.1% of the 74,664 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 transient non-community water system reports serving 144 people, so Buffalo Cove Mercantile is about 65% below that figure.
What does “transient non-community water system” mean?
A transient non-community water system serves places where people do not stay long, such as gas stations and campgrounds, and regularly serves at least 25 people a day for at least 60 days a year. North Carolina has 2,745 active transient non-community water systems, 54% 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 Buffalo Cove Mercantile?
EPA lists Buffalo Cove Mercantile 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. 21 of the 30 active systems in Caldwell County (70%) are also privately owned.
Does Buffalo Cove Mercantile have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 10 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2024. The violations listed here began between June 1998 and January 2024. By type: 5 monitoring and reporting, 4 monitoring and 1 contaminant level above the legal limit. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (5 of them). EPA lists 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-01-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-01-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2018-01-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2016-07-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2009-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2009-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2008-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2008-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 2008-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 1998-06-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
All 10 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.
Buffalo Cove Mercantile: frequently asked questions
Who runs Buffalo Cove Mercantile?
Buffalo Cove Mercantile (PWSID NC0114576) is a transient non-community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the NC state drinking water program.
How many people does Buffalo Cove Mercantile serve?
Buffalo Cove Mercantile reports serving 50 people through 3 service connections in Caldwell County, North Carolina.
Where does Buffalo Cove Mercantile 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 Buffalo Cove Mercantile have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 10 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in January 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 Buffalo Cove Mercantile'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. EPA's records list 10 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2024. For current results, consult EPA ECHO, or the NC state drinking water program.
Where can I find Buffalo Cove Mercantile's water quality report?
The annual Consumer Confidence Report requirement applies to community water systems. Buffalo Cove Mercantile is a transient non-community water system, so it is not required to publish one; like every public water system, it must notify the people it serves about violations under EPA's public notification rules.
Other water systems in Caldwell County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lenoir, City of | Caldwell | 25,573 | Community | Surface water |
| Caldwell Co Water System-Se | Caldwell | 15,710 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Caldwell County Water--West | Caldwell | 8,763 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Baton Water Corporation | Caldwell | 7,874 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Granite Falls, Town of | Caldwell | 7,318 | Community | Surface water |
| Sawmills, Town of | Caldwell | 5,524 | Community | Purchased surface water |
Related pages
Working with water-system records? Pro adds alerts, change history and CSV export ($49/mo); Enterprise adds full national files, the API and an MCP server for AI tools.
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, “Buffalo Cove Mercantile, PWSID NC0114576, North Carolina”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/north-carolina/buffalo-cove-mercantile-nc0114576 (data as of October 1, 2026).