Public water system · NC0187020
ActiveWhittier Sanitary District
At a glance
Whittier Sanitary District (PWSID NC0187020) is an active community water system in Swain County, North Carolina. It reports serving 252 people through 98 service connections. 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, one is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2024.
This page covers its drinking water system only; sewer and wastewater service are not part of EPA's drinking water records.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
252
Service connections
98
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Whittier Sanitary District compare with other water systems in Swain County?
By EPA's size categories, Whittier Sanitary District is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Swain County has 56 active public water systems. Its population served is about 39% above the county average of 182 people per system, and accounts for 2.5% of the 10,163 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 Whittier Sanitary District 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. 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 Whittier Sanitary District?
EPA lists Whittier Sanitary District 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. 5 of the 56 active systems in Swain County (8.9%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Whittier Sanitary District have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2024. The violations listed here began between October 2006 and October 2024. By type: 5 public notice, recordkeeping or other, 5 monitoring and reporting, 1 reporting and 1 required treatment not met. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Public Notice (4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2018-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingLead Consumer Notice · code 66 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Addressed |
| 2009-05-24 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2008-05-17 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2008-03-05 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2007-06-21 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2007-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Resolved |
| 2007-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Resolved |
| 2007-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Chlorinecode 0999 | No | Resolved |
| 2006-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | 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.
Whittier Sanitary District: frequently asked questions
Who runs Whittier Sanitary District?
Whittier Sanitary District (PWSID NC0187020) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the NC state drinking water program.
How many people does Whittier Sanitary District serve?
Whittier Sanitary District reports serving 252 people through 98 service connections in Swain County, North Carolina.
Where does Whittier Sanitary District 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 Whittier Sanitary District 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 October 2024. 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 Whittier Sanitary District'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 October 2024. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the NC state drinking water program.
Where can I find Whittier Sanitary District's water quality report?
As a community water system, Whittier Sanitary District 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 Swain County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryson City, Town of | Swain | 4,395 | Community | Surface water |
| Ferebee Memorial Park | Swain | 500 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| West Swain Elem School | Swain | 450 | Non-transient non-community | Groundwater |
| East Swain Elem School | Swain | 440 | Non-transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Smoky Mtn Country Club Estates | Swain | 318 | Community | Groundwater |
| Time Out Market #23 | Swain | 300 | 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, “Whittier Sanitary District, PWSID NC0187020, North Carolina”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/north-carolina/whittier-sanitary-district-nc0187020 (data as of October 1, 2026).