Public water system · NC0161432
ActiveGem Mountain Store & Museum
At a glance
Gem Mountain Store & Museum (PWSID NC0161432) is an active transient non-community water system in Mitchell County, North Carolina. It reports serving 100 people through 5 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as privately owned. EPA's records list 11 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in February 2008.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
100
Service connections
5
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
TNCWS
Transient non-community water system
System record
How does Gem Mountain Store & Museum compare with other water systems in Mitchell County?
By EPA's size categories, Gem Mountain Store & Museum is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Mitchell County has 25 active public water systems. Its population served is well below the county average of 332 people per system, and accounts for 1.2% of the 8,292 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 Gem Mountain Store & Museum is about 31% 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 Gem Mountain Store & Museum?
EPA lists Gem Mountain Store & Museum 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. 20 of the 25 active systems in Mitchell County (80%) are also privately owned.
Does Gem Mountain Store & Museum have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 11 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in February 2008. The violations listed here began between October 1999 and February 2008. By type: 6 monitoring and reporting and 5 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Public Notice (5 of them). EPA lists 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-02-20 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2007-12-08 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2007-07-22 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2006-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2006-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2005-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 2004-02-29 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation without NPDWR Violation · code 76 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2004-02-10 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation without NPDWR Violation · code 76 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2002-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2002-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 1999-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
All 11 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.
Gem Mountain Store & Museum: frequently asked questions
Who runs Gem Mountain Store & Museum?
Gem Mountain Store & Museum (PWSID NC0161432) is a transient non-community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the NC state drinking water program.
How many people does Gem Mountain Store & Museum serve?
Gem Mountain Store & Museum reports serving 100 people through 5 service connections in Mitchell County, North Carolina.
Where does Gem Mountain Store & Museum 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 Gem Mountain Store & Museum have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 11 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in February 2008. 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 Gem Mountain Store & Museum'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 11 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in February 2008. For current results, consult EPA ECHO, or the NC state drinking water program.
Where can I find Gem Mountain Store & Museum's water quality report?
The annual Consumer Confidence Report requirement applies to community water systems. Gem Mountain Store & Museum 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 Mitchell County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spruce Pine, Town of | Mitchell | 5,661 | Community | Surface water |
| Bakersville, Town of | Mitchell | 725 | Community | Groundwater |
| Gillespie Gap Maintenance | Mitchell | 250 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Dollar General #18574 | Mitchell | 200 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Swiss Pine Lakes | Mitchell | 185 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Altapass Baptist Church | Mitchell | 120 | 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, “Gem Mountain Store & Museum, PWSID NC0161432, North Carolina”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/north-carolina/gem-mountain-store-museum-nc0161432 (data as of October 1, 2026).