Public water system · 043700056
ActiveCherokee - Rough Branch Water System
At a glance
Cherokee - Rough Branch Water System (PWSID 043700056) is an active community water system in North Carolina. It reports serving 233 people through 75 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as Native American-owned. EPA's records list 9 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in November 2024.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
233
Service connections
75
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Cherokee - Rough Branch Water System compare with other water systems in North Carolina?
By EPA's size categories, Cherokee - Rough Branch Water System is a very small system (500 people or fewer). 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 Cherokee - Rough Branch Water System 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 Cherokee - Rough Branch Water System?
EPA lists Cherokee - Rough Branch Water System as Native American-owned. The EPA Region 04 is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Does Cherokee - Rough Branch Water System have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 9 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in November 2024. The violations listed here began between January 1993 and November 2024. By type: 6 monitoring and reporting, 2 public notice, recordkeeping or other and 1 required treatment not met. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Lead and Copper Rule (5 of them). EPA lists 5 as resolved, 3 as archived and 1 as unaddressed. 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. Unaddressed means the violation is not resolved or archived and is not yet covered by formal enforcement.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11-15 | Required treatment not metLSL Inventory · code 2E | Lead and Copper Rule Revisionscode 5200 | Yes | Unaddressed |
| 2010-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 1996-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingWater Quality Parameter M/R · code 53 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 1996-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingInitial, Follow-up, or Routine Source Water M/R · code 56 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 1994-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingInitial Tap Sampling for Pb and Cu · code 51 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 1993-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherNotification, Public · code 06 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Archived |
| 1993-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingInitial Tap Sampling for Pb and Cu · code 51 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 1993-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Archived |
| 1993-01-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherNotification, Public · code 06 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Archived |
All 9 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.
Cherokee - Rough Branch Water System: frequently asked questions
Who runs Cherokee - Rough Branch Water System?
Cherokee - Rough Branch Water System (PWSID 043700056) is a community water system Native American-owned. It is regulated by the EPA Region 04.
How many people does Cherokee - Rough Branch Water System serve?
Cherokee - Rough Branch Water System reports serving 233 people through 75 service connections in North Carolina.
Where does Cherokee - Rough Branch Water System 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 Cherokee - Rough Branch Water System have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 9 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in November 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 Cherokee - Rough Branch Water System'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 9 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in November 2024. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the EPA Region 04.
Where can I find Cherokee - Rough Branch Water System's water quality report?
As a community water system, Cherokee - Rough Branch Water System 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 North Carolina
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte Water | Mecklenburg | 1,163,701 | Community | Surface water |
| Raleigh, City of | Wake | 650,000 | Community | Surface water |
| Winston-Salem, City of | Forsyth | 391,900 | Community | Surface water |
| Durham, City of | Durham | 333,490 | Community | Surface water |
| Greensboro, City of | Guilford | 319,588 | Community | Surface water |
| Cary, Town of | Wake | 227,300 | Community | Surface water |
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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, “Cherokee - Rough Branch Water System, PWSID 043700056, North Carolina”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/north-carolina/cherokee-rough-branch-water-system-043700056 (data as of October 1, 2026).