Public water system · NC0234010
ActiveWinston-Salem, City of
At a glance
City of Winston-Salem (PWSID NC0234010) is an active community water system in Forsyth County, North Carolina. It reports serving 391,900 people through 147,043 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, none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2021.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
391,900
Service connections
147,043
Primary source
SW
Surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does City of Winston-Salem compare with other water systems in Forsyth County?
By EPA's size categories, City of Winston-Salem is a very large system (more than 100,000 people). Forsyth County has 19 active public water systems, and City of Winston-Salem is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 19 times the county average of 20,837 people per system, and accounts for 99% of the 395,903 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 Winston-Salem is about 58 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 Winston-Salem?
EPA lists City of Winston-Salem 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 19 active systems in Forsyth County (11%) are also owned by a local government.
Does City of Winston-Salem have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2021. The violations listed here began between January 1990 and July 2021. By type: 11 monitoring and reporting and 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Surface Water Treatment Rule (2 of them). EPA lists 10 as resolved and 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Turbidity (Enhanced SWTR) · code 38 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300 | No | Resolved |
| 2019-12-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Filter) · code 36 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | No | Resolved |
| 2019-11-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Filter) · code 36 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | No | Resolved |
| 2005-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 1999-10-19 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 1990-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Toxaphenecode 2020 | No | Resolved |
| 1990-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Methoxychlorcode 2015 | No | Archived |
| 1990-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 2,4-Dcode 2105 | No | Resolved |
| 1990-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Lindane (gamma-BHC)code 2010 | No | Archived |
| 1990-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 2,4,5-TP (Silvex)code 2110 | No | Resolved |
| 1990-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Endrincode 2005 | No | Resolved |
| 1990-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Methoxychlorcode 2015 | 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 Winston-Salem: frequently asked questions
Who runs City of Winston-Salem?
City of Winston-Salem (PWSID NC0234010) 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 Winston-Salem serve?
City of Winston-Salem reports serving 391,900 people through 147,043 service connections in Forsyth County, North Carolina.
Where does City of Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2021. 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 Winston-Salem'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, none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2021. 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 Winston-Salem's water quality report?
As a community water system, City of Winston-Salem 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 Forsyth County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abington S/D | Forsyth | 1,506 | Community | Groundwater |
| Graystone/Smokerise Water System | Forsyth | 455 | Community | Groundwater |
| Applegate Water System | Forsyth | 442 | Community | Groundwater |
| Yorktown S/D | Forsyth | 272 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Grandview Water System | Forsyth | 198 | Community | Groundwater |
| Mcbride`S MHP | Forsyth | 190 | 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, “Winston-Salem, City of, PWSID NC0234010, North Carolina”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/north-carolina/winston-salem-city-of-nc0234010 (data as of October 1, 2026).