Public water system · NC0424045
ActiveLake Waccamaw, Town of
At a glance
Town of Lake Waccamaw (PWSID NC0424045) is an active community water system in Columbus County, North Carolina. It reports serving 2,572 people through 972 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in December 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
2,572
Service connections
972
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Town of Lake Waccamaw compare with other water systems in Columbus County?
By EPA's size categories, Town of Lake Waccamaw is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Columbus County has 63 active public water systems, and Town of Lake Waccamaw is the 5th-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 4.4 times the county average of 580 people per system, and accounts for 7% of the 36,532 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 Town of Lake Waccamaw is about 62% 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 Town of Lake Waccamaw?
EPA lists Town of Lake Waccamaw 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. 15 of the 63 active systems in Columbus County (24%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Town of Lake Waccamaw have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in December 2025. The violations listed here began between July 2008 and December 2025. By type: 5 monitoring and reporting, 3 public notice, recordkeeping or other, 2 reporting, 1 required treatment not met and 1 monitoring. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Revised Total Coliform Rule (2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-12-11 | ReportingReport Sample Result/Fail Monitor (RTCR) · code 4B | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-10-17 | ReportingLSL Reporting · code 4G | Lead and Copper Rule Revisionscode 5200 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-10-17 | Required treatment not metLSL Inventory · code 2E | Lead and Copper Rule Revisionscode 5200 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2022-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingLead Consumer Notice · code 66 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2019-12-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2019-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Chlorinecode 0999 | No | Resolved |
| 2016-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingLead Consumer Notice · code 66 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Resolved |
| 2009-10-30 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2009-10-30 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2008-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | 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.
Town of Lake Waccamaw: frequently asked questions
Who runs Town of Lake Waccamaw?
Town of Lake Waccamaw (PWSID NC0424045) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the NC state drinking water program.
How many people does Town of Lake Waccamaw serve?
Town of Lake Waccamaw reports serving 2,572 people through 972 service connections in Columbus County, North Carolina.
Where does Town of Lake Waccamaw 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 Town of Lake Waccamaw have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in December 2025. 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 Town of Lake Waccamaw'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, one is health-based, and the most recent began in December 2025. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the NC state drinking water program.
Where can I find Town of Lake Waccamaw's water quality report?
As a community water system, Town of Lake Waccamaw 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 Columbus County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus Co Water Districts Ii, Iii, V | Columbus | 10,442 | Community | Groundwater |
| Whiteville, City of | Columbus | 5,426 | Community | Groundwater |
| Tabor City, Town of | Columbus | 3,277 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Columbus County Water Dist Iv | Columbus | 2,598 | Community | Groundwater |
| Chadbourn, Town of | Columbus | 2,370 | Community | Groundwater |
| Columbus Co Water District I | Columbus | 1,700 | 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, “Lake Waccamaw, Town of, PWSID NC0424045, North Carolina”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/north-carolina/lake-waccamaw-town-of-nc0424045 (data as of October 1, 2026).