Public water system · NC0123010
ActiveShelby, City of
At a glance
City of Shelby (PWSID NC0123010) is an active community water system in Cleveland County, North Carolina. It reports serving 23,600 people through 10,937 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 July 2020.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
23,600
Service connections
10,937
Primary source
SW
Surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does City of Shelby compare with other water systems in Cleveland County?
By EPA's size categories, City of Shelby is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Cleveland County has 10 active public water systems, and City of Shelby is the 2nd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 124% above the county average of 10,543 people per system, and accounts for 22% of the 105,431 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 Shelby is about 3.5 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 Shelby?
EPA lists City of Shelby 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 10 active systems in Cleveland County (60%) are also owned by a local government.
Does City of Shelby have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2020. The violations listed here began between October 1980 and July 2020. By type: 7 monitoring and reporting, 3 public notice, recordkeeping or other and 2 required treatment not met. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Consumer Confidence Rule (3 of them). EPA lists 11 as resolved and 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2004-10-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2002-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Resolved |
| 2002-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Resolved |
| 2002-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Resolved |
| 2002-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Resolved |
| 2002-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Resolved |
| 2002-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Resolved |
| 2001-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 1993-01-01 | Required treatment not metOCCT/SOWT Study/Recommendation · code 57 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | Yes | Resolved |
| 1993-01-01 | Required treatment not metOCCT/SOWT Study/Recommendation · code 57 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | Yes | Resolved |
| 1980-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000 | 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.
City of Shelby: frequently asked questions
Who runs City of Shelby?
City of Shelby (PWSID NC0123010) 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 Shelby serve?
City of Shelby reports serving 23,600 people through 10,937 service connections in Cleveland County, North Carolina.
Where does City of Shelby 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 Shelby 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 July 2020. 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 Shelby'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 July 2020. 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 Shelby's water quality report?
As a community water system, City of Shelby 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 Cleveland County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland County Water | Cleveland | 59,395 | Community | Surface water |
| Kings Mountain, Town of | Cleveland | 14,784 | Community | Surface water |
| Boiling Springs, Town of | Cleveland | 4,769 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Grassy Pond Water Corporation | Cleveland | 1,303 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Grover, Town of | Cleveland | 805 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Lawndale, Town of | Cleveland | 660 | 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, “Shelby, City of, PWSID NC0123010, North Carolina”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/north-carolina/shelby-city-of-nc0123010 (data as of October 1, 2026).