Johnston County, North Carolina — public water systems

At a glance

54 active public water systems are filed under Johnston County, North Carolina in EPA's SDWIS records, together reporting 214,999 people served. The largest is Johnston Co-West, which reports serving 99,027 people. 47 are community water systems serving people where they live; the other 7 are non-community systems, such as schools, workplaces, campgrounds and gas stations with their own supply.

Dataset updated October 2026 . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO, refreshed quarterly.

Active systems

Population served

215K

Community systems

Groundwater share

59.3%

How does Johnston County compare with other North Carolina counties?

Johnston County has the 34th-most active public water systems among the 137 counties listed for active North Carolina systems in EPA records; among the 102 with 3 or more systems, the median has 29. Its systems report 214,999 people served in total, the 11th-largest county figure in the state and 2.1% of the statewide total. The average system here reports serving 3,982 people, about twice the North Carolina average of 1,971. Population figures are what each system reports; people served by more than one system, such as a wholesaler and the town that buys from it, are counted by each.

Where does Johnston County's drinking water come from?

By primary water source, Johnston County's active systems draw on groundwater (32, 59%), purchased surface water (19, 35%) and surface water (3, 5.6%). Overall, 59% rely mainly on groundwater (including purchased groundwater) and 41% on surface water, compared with 91% and 9.1% across North Carolina. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. The county's largest system, Johnston Co-West, draws primarily on surface water.

What kinds of water systems operate in Johnston County?

Johnston County's active systems break down as 47 community systems (87%) and 7 transient non-community systems (13%). 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. 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. EPA lists their owner types as private (69%), local government (30%) and state government (1.9%).

The 50 largest water systems in Johnston County

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Active public water systems in Johnston County, North Carolina
#	Water system	County	Population served	Type	Source
1	Johnston Co-West	Johnston	99,027	Community	Surface water
2	Clayton, Town of	Johnston	30,876	Community	Purchased surface water
3	Johnston Co-East	Johnston	25,212	Community	Surface water
4	Smithfield, Town of	Johnston	12,900	Community	Surface water
5	Flowers Plantation	Johnston	11,643	Community	Purchased surface water
6	Selma, Town of	Johnston	6,190	Community	Groundwater
7	Benson, Town of	Johnston	4,802	Community	Purchased surface water
8	Town of Clayton - North	Johnston	4,703	Community	Purchased surface water
9	Pine Level, Town of	Johnston	2,413	Community	Groundwater
10	Four Oaks, Town of	Johnston	2,302	Community	Purchased surface water
11	Kenly, Town of	Johnston	2,301	Community	Purchased surface water
12	Princeton, Town of	Johnston	1,653	Community	Purchased surface water
13	Winston Pointe S/D	Johnston	1,326	Community	Purchased surface water
14	Smithfield South Water Dist	Johnston	803	Community	Purchased surface water
15	Buffalo Creek S/D	Johnston	721	Community	Groundwater
16	Southhills Southwoods Sd	Johnston	716	Community	Groundwater
17	Selma, Town of (County Line)	Johnston	642	Community	Purchased surface water
18	Riverwood S/D	Johnston	553	Community	Groundwater
19	White Oak Plantation	Johnston	521	Community	Purchased surface water
20	Creekstone S/D	Johnston	505	Community	Groundwater
21	Micro, Town of	Johnston	470	Community	Groundwater
22	Willowbrook Development	Johnston	432	Community	Purchased surface water
23	Creekside Place S/D	Johnston	361	Community	Purchased surface water
24	South Plantation S/D	Johnston	357	Community	Purchased surface water
25	Ole Mill Stream S/D	Johnston	325	Community	Groundwater
26	Stephanie Woods S/D	Johnston	245	Community	Groundwater
27	Pine Level, Town of (Firetower)	Johnston	238	Community	Purchased surface water
28	Winston Plantation	Johnston	229	Community	Purchased surface water
29	Tucker Lake	Johnston	200	Transient non-community	Groundwater
30	Neuse Colony S/D Section B	Johnston	190	Community	Purchased surface water
31	Dutchess Downs Mh S/D	Johnston	185	Community	Groundwater
32	Southgate S/D	Johnston	160	Community	Purchased surface water
33	Country Hills S/D	Johnston	152	Community	Groundwater
34	Tippetts Chapel Fwb Church	Johnston	130	Transient non-community	Groundwater
35	Southfort S/D	Johnston	125	Community	Groundwater
36	Deerfield S/D	Johnston	120	Community	Groundwater
37	Garner Estates Mh S/D	Johnston	114	Community	Groundwater
38	Heather Downs Mh S/D	Johnston	112	Community	Groundwater
39	Micro, Town of (County Line)	Johnston	107	Community	Purchased surface water
40	Cleveland MHP	Johnston	107	Community	Groundwater
41	Smithfield Moose Lodge	Johnston	100	Transient non-community	Groundwater
42	Shadow Lakes S/D	Johnston	99	Community	Groundwater
43	Albany Acres S/D	Johnston	81	Community	Groundwater
44	Adams MHP	Johnston	80	Community	Groundwater
45	Stoneybrook Estates S/D	Johnston	80	Community	Groundwater
46	Neighbor`S Walk S/D	Johnston	60	Community	Groundwater
47	Gibson Glen S/D	Johnston	60	Community	Groundwater
48	Paceville S/D	Johnston	58	Community	Groundwater
49	Clemmons State Forest	Johnston	50	Transient non-community	Groundwater
50	Heatherstone S/D	Johnston	48	Community	Groundwater

All other water systems in Johnston County (4)

The remaining active systems filed under Johnston County, largest first, with the population each reports serving.

Johnston County water systems: frequently asked questions

How many public water systems are in Johnston County, North Carolina?

EPA's SDWIS records file 54 active public water systems under Johnston County, North Carolina: 47 community systems (87%) and 7 transient non-community systems (13%).

Who supplies drinking water in Johnston County, NC?

The largest community water systems filed under Johnston County are Johnston Co-West (99,027 people served), Town of Clayton (30,876 people served) and Johnston Co-East (25,212 people served). Which system serves a particular address depends on its service area, which EPA's SDWIS records do not include; a water bill or the local utility can confirm it.

Does Johnston County's drinking water come from groundwater or surface water?

Of the 54 active public water systems in Johnston County, 59% draw mainly on groundwater and 41% on surface water, counting purchased supplies. The largest system, Johnston Co-West, uses surface water.

Where can I find a water quality report for Johnston County?

Each community water system must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1, covering the previous calendar year. 47 community systems are filed under Johnston County, so the report to look for is the one from the system that supplies your address.

How can I check violations for a water system in Johnston County?

Open the system's profile from the list on this page. Each profile shows the most recent Safe Drinking Water Act violations in EPA's records, with plain-English labels and whether each one is resolved. For current compliance status, EPA ECHO is the primary source.

More North Carolina water systems

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, “Public water systems in Johnston County, North Carolina”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/north-carolina/johnston (data as of October 1, 2026).