NC / Rutherfordton
NC · Tap water records
Rutherfordton tap water, in plain English
Here is what the EPA's own data shows about tap water in Rutherfordton. According to EPA SDWIS data retrieved June 2026, Rutherfordton is served by 2 active community water systems, together reported to serve about 18,269 people.
As of June 2026, EPA records show 30 violations across the community water system(s) serving Rutherfordton, going back to the earliest EPA record. 3 of these are classified by the EPA as health-based (a contaminant recorded above the limit the EPA tracks); the rest are monitoring or reporting violations. Each is listed by system below, with its status.
What the EPA has on record, by system
Broad River Water Authority
18,242 served · surface water · PWSID NC0181035 - Monitoring Consumer Confidence Rule: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded once in October 1999. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
Colonial Manor Rest Home
27 served · groundwater · PWSID NC0181132 - Health-based LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS: a health-based violation (a contaminant recorded above the limit the EPA tracks), recorded 2 times in October 2024. The EPA record for these does not include a measured level. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Health-based Lead and Copper Rule: a health-based violation (a contaminant recorded above the limit the EPA tracks), recorded once in January 1994. The EPA record for these does not include a measured level. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded 2 times in October 2024. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Consumer Confidence Rule: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded 4 times between October 1999 and July 2022. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Public Notice: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded 9 times between March 2004 and March 2020. EPA records do not show all of these as returned to compliance.
- Monitoring Lead and Copper Rule: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded 7 times between January 2004 and January 2020. EPA records do not show all of these as returned to compliance.
- Monitoring Nitrate: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded 2 times between January 2017 and January 2018. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
- Monitoring Revised Total Coliform Rule: a monitoring or reporting violation (a required test or report was late or missed — not a measured exceedance), recorded 2 times between October 2017 and November 2017. All have since returned to compliance, per EPA records.
What this means
A health-based violation means a contaminant was recorded above the limit the EPA tracks for it. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was late or missed — not that a contaminant was measured above a limit. “Returned to compliance” means the EPA recorded the issue as resolved.
This page summarizes the EPA's own records and does not assess whether your water is safe to drink. For the most current details, you can verify every record directly with the EPA, and contact your water system with questions.
Source: U.S. EPA Envirofacts SDWIS, retrieved June 2026. Records cover the EPA's full reporting history for these systems. Verify at EPA ECHO.