Public water system · NC0118010
ActiveHickory City of
At a glance
City of Hickory (PWSID NC0118010) is an active community water system in Catawba County, North Carolina. It reports serving 71,393 people through 32,523 service connections. Its primary water source is surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 3 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2002.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
71,393
Service connections
32,523
Primary source
SW
Surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does City of Hickory compare with other water systems in Catawba County?
By EPA's size categories, City of Hickory is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Catawba County has 148 active public water systems, and City of Hickory is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 75 times the county average of 956 people per system, and accounts for 50% of the 141,420 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 City of Hickory is about 11 times 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. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs. 132 North Carolina systems (2.6%) list surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates City of Hickory?
EPA lists City of Hickory as owned by a local government. 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. 12 of the 148 active systems in Catawba County (8.1%) are also owned by a local government.
Does City of Hickory have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 3 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2002. The violations listed here began between June 1981 and October 2002. By type: 2 monitoring and reporting and 1 contaminant level above the legal limit. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Endrin (2 of them). EPA lists 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-10-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | Yes | Resolved |
| 1981-06-25 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Endrincode 2005 | No | Archived |
| 1981-06-25 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Endrincode 2005 | No | Resolved |
All 3 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.
City of Hickory: frequently asked questions
Who runs City of Hickory?
City of Hickory (PWSID NC0118010) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the NC state drinking water program.
How many people does City of Hickory serve?
City of Hickory reports serving 71,393 people through 32,523 service connections in Catawba County, North Carolina.
Where does City of Hickory get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as surface water. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs.
Does City of Hickory have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 3 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2002. 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 City of Hickory'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 3 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2002. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the NC state drinking water program.
Where can I find City of Hickory's water quality report?
As a community water system, City of Hickory 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 Catawba County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newton, City of | Catawba | 18,407 | Community | Surface water |
| Conover, City of | Catawba | 15,347 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Maiden, Town of | Catawba | 5,563 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Longview, Town of | Catawba | 5,244 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Southeast Catawba County | Catawba | 5,080 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Claremont, City of | Catawba | 2,645 | Community | Purchased 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, “Hickory City of, PWSID NC0118010, North Carolina”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/north-carolina/hickory-city-of-nc0118010 (data as of October 1, 2026).