Public water system · NC1056032
ActiveMcdowell Co--Nebo
At a glance
Mcdowell Co--Nebo (PWSID NC1056032) is an active community water system in McDowell County, North Carolina. It reports serving 902 people through 355 service connections. Its primary water source is purchased surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 9 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in September 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
902
Service connections
355
Primary source
SWP
Purchased surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Mcdowell Co--Nebo compare with other water systems in McDowell County?
By EPA's size categories, Mcdowell Co--Nebo is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). McDowell County has 94 active public water systems, and Mcdowell Co--Nebo is the 4th-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 3.1 times the county average of 291 people per system, and accounts for 3.3% of the 27,345 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 Mcdowell Co--Nebo 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. Purchased surface water means the system buys surface water from another public water system rather than drawing its own. 331 North Carolina systems (6.5%) list purchased surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Mcdowell Co--Nebo?
EPA lists Mcdowell Co--Nebo 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. 6 of the 94 active systems in McDowell County (6.4%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Mcdowell Co--Nebo have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 9 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in September 2025. The violations listed here began between January 2009 and September 2025. By type: 6 monitoring and reporting, 2 public notice, recordkeeping or other and 1 reporting. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Haloacetic acids (HAA5) (2 of them). EPA lists 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-09-11 | ReportingReport Sample Result/Fail Monitor (RTCR) · code 4B | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingLead Consumer Notice · code 66 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2015-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Resolved |
| 2015-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Resolved |
| 2013-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2009-06-18 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2009-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingInitial Tap Sampling for Pb and Cu · code 51 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
All 9 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.
Mcdowell Co--Nebo: frequently asked questions
Who runs Mcdowell Co--Nebo?
Mcdowell Co--Nebo (PWSID NC1056032) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the NC state drinking water program.
How many people does Mcdowell Co--Nebo serve?
Mcdowell Co--Nebo reports serving 902 people through 355 service connections in McDowell County, North Carolina.
Where does Mcdowell Co--Nebo get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as purchased surface water. Purchased surface water means the system buys surface water from another public water system rather than drawing its own.
Does Mcdowell Co--Nebo have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 9 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in September 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 Mcdowell Co--Nebo'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 9 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in September 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 Mcdowell Co--Nebo's water quality report?
As a community water system, Mcdowell Co--Nebo 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 McDowell County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion, City of | McDowell | 9,362 | Community | Surface water |
| Baxter Health Care Corp | McDowell | 2,450 | Non-transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Old Fort, Town of | McDowell | 1,700 | Community | Groundwater |
| Riverside Convenience Store | McDowell | 500 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| New North Cove Elem School | McDowell | 450 | Non-transient non-community | Groundwater |
| West Marion Elem School | McDowell | 449 | Non-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, “Mcdowell Co--Nebo, PWSID NC1056032, North Carolina”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/north-carolina/mcdowell-co-nebo-nc1056032 (data as of October 1, 2026).