Public water system · NC0120010

Active

Murphy, Town of

At a glance

Town of Murphy (PWSID NC0120010) is an active community water system in Cherokee County, North Carolina. It reports serving 4,498 people through 1,771 service connections. Its primary water source is surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in November 2025.

Dataset updated October 2026 . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.

Population served

4,498

Service connections

1,771

Primary source

Surface water

System type

CWS

Community water system

System record

PWSIDNC0120010

System typeCommunity water system

Activity statusActive

Population served4,498

Service connections1,771

Primary water sourceSurface water

Owner typeLocal government

Primacy agencyNC state drinking water program

City servedMurphy

StateNorth Carolina

ZIP—

CountyCherokee County

How does Town of Murphy compare with other water systems in Cherokee County?

By EPA's size categories, Town of Murphy is a medium system (3,301 to 10,000 people). Cherokee County has 17 active public water systems, and Town of Murphy is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 6.7 times the county average of 673 people per system, and accounts for 39% of the 11,445 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 Murphy is about 33% 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. 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 Town of Murphy?

EPA lists Town of Murphy 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 17 active systems in Cherokee County (35%) are also owned by a local government.

Does Town of Murphy have drinking water violations?

Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in November 2025. The violations listed here began between October 2007 and November 2025. By type: 4 reporting, 3 monitoring and reporting, 3 public notice, recordkeeping or other and 2 required treatment not met. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Revised Total Coliform Rule (3 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
2025-11-01	ReportingReport Sample Result/Fail Monitor (RTCR) · code 4B	Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000	No	Resolved
2025-10-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27	Chlorinecode 0999	No	Resolved
2025-09-11	ReportingReport Sample Result/Fail Monitor (RTCR) · code 4B	Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000	No	Resolved
2025-09-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27	Chlorinecode 0999	No	Resolved
2025-08-11	ReportingReport Sample Result/Fail Monitor (RTCR) · code 4B	Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000	No	Resolved
2024-10-17	Required treatment not metLSL Inventory · code 2E	Lead and Copper Rule Revisionscode 5200	Yes	Resolved
2024-10-17	ReportingLSL Reporting · code 4G	Lead and Copper Rule Revisionscode 5200	No	Resolved
2022-01-01	Monitoring and reportingLead Consumer Notice · code 66	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	No	Resolved
2012-04-01	Required treatment not metSingle Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) · code 43	Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300	Yes	Resolved
2009-04-26	Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75	Public Noticecode 7500	No	Resolved
2008-01-19	Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75	Public Noticecode 7500	No	Resolved
2007-10-01	Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72	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 Murphy: frequently asked questions

Who runs Town of Murphy?

Town of Murphy (PWSID NC0120010) 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 Murphy serve?

Town of Murphy reports serving 4,498 people through 1,771 service connections in Cherokee County, North Carolina.

Where does Town of Murphy 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 Town of Murphy have any drinking water violations?

Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in November 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 Murphy'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, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in November 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 Murphy's water quality report?

As a community water system, Town of Murphy 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 Cherokee County

Water system	County	Population served	Type	Source
Andrews, Town of	Cherokee	3,284	Community	Surface water
Marble Community Wtr System	Cherokee	999	Community	Groundwater
Bear Paw Resort	Cherokee	909	Community	Groundwater
Ranger Elem School	Cherokee	350	Non-transient non-community	Groundwater
The Mountain Folk Center	Cherokee	300	Transient non-community	Groundwater
Hiwassee Dam School	Cherokee	300	Non-transient non-community	Groundwater

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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, “Murphy, Town of, PWSID NC0120010, North Carolina”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/north-carolina/murphy-town-of-nc0120010 (data as of October 1, 2026).