Public water system · NC0150200
ActiveHighlands Cove S/D
At a glance
Highlands Cove S/D (PWSID NC0150200) is an active community water system in Jackson County, North Carolina. It reports serving 577 people through 227 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 2021.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
577
Service connections
227
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Highlands Cove S/D compare with other water systems in Jackson County?
By EPA's size categories, Highlands Cove S/D is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Jackson County has 111 active public water systems. Its population served is about 81% above the county average of 319 people per system, and accounts for 1.6% 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 Highlands Cove S/D 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 Highlands Cove S/D?
EPA lists Highlands Cove S/D 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 Highlands Cove S/D 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 2021. The violations listed here began between November 2005 and July 2021. By type: 7 public notice, recordkeeping or other and 5 monitoring and reporting. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Public Notice (4 of them). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Mercurycode 1035 | No | Resolved |
| 2016-02-24 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 2012-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2008-03-26 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2008-03-21 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2006-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2006-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2006-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 2006-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalatecode 2039 | No | Resolved |
| 2005-11-20 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation without NPDWR Violation · code 76 | Public Noticecode 7500 | 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.
Highlands Cove S/D: frequently asked questions
Who runs Highlands Cove S/D?
Highlands Cove S/D (PWSID NC0150200) is a community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the NC state drinking water program.
How many people does Highlands Cove S/D serve?
Highlands Cove S/D reports serving 577 people through 227 service connections in Jackson County, North Carolina.
Where does Highlands Cove S/D 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 Highlands Cove S/D 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 2021. 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 Highlands Cove S/D'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 2021. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the NC state drinking water program.
Where can I find Highlands Cove S/D's water quality report?
As a community water system, Highlands Cove S/D 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 |
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, “Highlands Cove S/D, PWSID NC0150200, North Carolina”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/north-carolina/highlands-cove-s-d-nc0150200 (data as of October 1, 2026).