Public water system · NC0353010
ActiveSanford, City of
At a glance
City of Sanford (PWSID NC0353010) is an active community water system in Lee County, North Carolina. It reports serving 48,350 people through 18,961 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, one is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2026.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
48,350
Service connections
18,961
Primary source
SW
Surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does City of Sanford compare with other water systems in Lee County?
By EPA's size categories, City of Sanford is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Lee County has 8 active public water systems, and City of Sanford is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 6.8 times the county average of 7,103 people per system, and accounts for 85% of the 56,822 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 City of Sanford is about 7.2 times 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 City of Sanford?
EPA lists City of Sanford 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. 2 of the 8 active systems in Lee County (25%) are also owned by a local government.
Does City of Sanford have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2026. The violations listed here began between January 2014 and January 2026. By type: 10 monitoring and reporting, 1 reporting and 1 required treatment not met. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Lead and Copper Rule (2 of them). EPA lists 11 as resolved and 1 as addressed. 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. Addressed means the violation is not resolved or archived and is covered by formal enforcement.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingLead Consumer Notice · code 66 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Addressed |
| 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 |
| 2023-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingLead Consumer Notice · code 66 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Hexachlorocyclopentadienecode 2042 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Methoxychlorcode 2015 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Hexachlorobenzenecode 2274 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Heptachlor epoxidecode 2067 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Heptachlorcode 2065 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Chlordanecode 2959 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Toxaphenecode 2020 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipatecode 2035 | 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.
City of Sanford: frequently asked questions
Who runs City of Sanford?
City of Sanford (PWSID NC0353010) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the NC state drinking water program.
How many people does City of Sanford serve?
City of Sanford reports serving 48,350 people through 18,961 service connections in Lee County, North Carolina.
Where does City of Sanford 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 City of Sanford 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 January 2026. 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 City of Sanford'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 January 2026. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the NC state drinking water program.
Where can I find City of Sanford's water quality report?
As a community water system, City of Sanford 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 Lee County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina Trace Water System | Lee | 4,516 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Broadway, Town of | Lee | 1,783 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Pilgrim`S Pride Water System | Lee | 1,040 | Non-transient non-community | Surface water |
| Quail Ridge Water System | Lee | 465 | Community | Groundwater |
| Pine Village Mhc LLC | Lee | 411 | Community | Groundwater |
| Farm Water Works | Lee | 167 | 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, “Sanford, City of, PWSID NC0353010, North Carolina”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/north-carolina/sanford-city-of-nc0353010 (data as of October 1, 2026).