Public water system · NC0120402

Active

Ranger Elem School

At a glance

Ranger Elem School (PWSID NC0120402) is an active non-transient non-community water system in Cherokee County, North Carolina. It reports serving 350 people through 1 service connection. 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, 5 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2019.

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

Population served

350

Service connections

Primary source

Groundwater

System type

NTNCWS

Non-transient non-community water system

System record

PWSIDNC0120402

System typeNon-transient non-community water system

Activity statusActive

Population served350

Service connections1

Primary water sourceGroundwater

Owner typeLocal government

Primacy agencyNC state drinking water program

City servedMurphy

StateNorth Carolina

ZIP—

CountyCherokee County

How does Ranger Elem School compare with other water systems in Cherokee County?

By EPA's size categories, Ranger Elem School is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Cherokee County has 17 active public water systems, and Ranger Elem School is the 5th-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about half of the county average of 673 people per system, and accounts for 3.1% 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 non-transient non-community water system reports serving 430 people, so Ranger Elem School is about 19% below that figure.

What does “non-transient non-community water system” mean?

A non-transient non-community water system regularly serves at least 25 of the same people for more than six months a year, but not where they live. Schools, factories, office buildings and hospitals with their own supply are typical examples. North Carolina has 311 active non-transient non-community water systems, 6.1% 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 Ranger Elem School?

EPA lists Ranger Elem School 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 Ranger Elem School have drinking water violations?

Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 5 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2019. The violations listed here began between April 1997 and January 2019. By type: 6 monitoring and reporting, 5 required treatment not met and 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Lead and Copper Rule (7 of them). EPA lists 9 as resolved and 3 as archived. 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. Archived means the violation was not marked resolved but is more than five years past the end of the noncompliance period, so it no longer counts toward current compliance status.

Began	Violation	Contaminant or rule	Health-based	Status
2019-01-01	Monitoring and reportingLead Consumer Notice · code 66	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	No	Resolved
2007-03-02	Required treatment not metPublic Education · code 65	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	Yes	Resolved
2005-08-30	Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75	Public Noticecode 7500	No	Resolved
2004-07-01	Required treatment not metOCCT/SOWT Study/Recommendation · code 57	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	Yes	Resolved
2004-07-01	Required treatment not metPublic Education · code 65	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	Yes	Resolved
2004-01-01	Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	No	Resolved
2003-01-01	Required treatment not metOCCT/SOWT Study/Recommendation · code 57	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	Yes	Resolved
2000-10-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	No	Resolved
2000-01-01	Required treatment not metOCCT/SOWT Study/Recommendation · code 57	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	Yes	Resolved
1998-04-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	No	Archived
1997-10-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	No	Archived
1997-04-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	No	Archived

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.

Ranger Elem School: frequently asked questions

Who runs Ranger Elem School?

Ranger Elem School (PWSID NC0120402) is a non-transient non-community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the NC state drinking water program.

How many people does Ranger Elem School serve?

Ranger Elem School reports serving 350 people through 1 service connection in Cherokee County, North Carolina.

Where does Ranger Elem School 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 Ranger Elem School have any drinking water violations?

Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 5 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2019. 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 Ranger Elem School'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, 5 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2019. For current results, consult EPA ECHO, or the NC state drinking water program.

Where can I find Ranger Elem School's water quality report?

The annual Consumer Confidence Report requirement applies to community water systems. Ranger Elem School is a non-transient non-community water system, so it is not required to publish one; like every public water system, it must notify the people it serves about violations under EPA's public notification rules.

Other water systems in Cherokee County

Water system	County	Population served	Type	Source
Murphy, Town of	Cherokee	4,498	Community	Surface water
Andrews, Town of	Cherokee	3,284	Community	Surface water
Marble Community Wtr System	Cherokee	999	Community	Groundwater
Bear Paw Resort	Cherokee	909	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, “Ranger Elem School, PWSID NC0120402, North Carolina”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/north-carolina/ranger-elem-school-nc0120402 (data as of October 1, 2026).