Is Cherokee Water Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

Water source: Surface water
Ownership: Native American

Compliance record

Formal violations the EPA has on file for this supplier. A health-based violation means a contaminant limit or a required treatment was breached; the rest are monitoring or reporting failures — still violations, but not a measured health risk.

health-based violations

violations on file

still open

Violation	Type	Status	Period
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2024-11-15
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2010-01-01 → 2010-12-31
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2004-01-01 → 2004-03-31

Other contaminants detected

Each bar shows the measured level as a share of the EPA limit: green is well under, amber is close to it, red is over. For lead and copper the limit applies to exactly the 90th-percentile figure shown, so red there means a real exceedance. For everything else the limit applies to a running annual average while the figure is the 95th percentile of this system's samples — over 100% is worth reading, but is not by itself a violation. Where a single sample came in higher than that percentile, it is noted under the bar. Formal violations are listed separately.

Contaminant	Level vs EPA limit	Detection rate	Source	Period
Copper	21.62 µg/L 1.7% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 470 µg/L	134/161	SYR4	2012–2018
Lead	0.0 mg/L 0% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	24/24	LCR	2026
Nitrate	365.5 µg/L 3.7% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 370 µg/L	24/24	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	29.5 µg/L 197% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 15 µg/L worst single sample: 34 µg/L	19/161	SYR4	2012–2018
Combined Radium (-226 And -228)	0.9601 pCi/L 19% of the EPA limit 5 pCi/L worst single sample: 1.195 pCi/L	12/12	SYR4	2012–2018
Nitrate-Nitrite	353.5 µg/L 3.5% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 370 µg/L	12/12	SYR4	2012–2019
Combined Uranium	1.14924 µg/L 3.8% of the EPA limit 30 µg/L worst single sample: 1.15326 µg/L	10/10	SYR4	2012–2017
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon And U	0.9500 pCi/L 6.3% of the EPA limit 15 pCi/L worst single sample: 1.07 pCi/L	5/5	SYR4	2015–2018

93 contaminants tested, none detected

1,1,1-Trichloroethane1,1,2-Trichloroethane1,1-Dichloroethylene1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE1,2-Dichloroethane1,2-Dichloropropane11Cl-PF3OUdS2,4,5-TP2,4-D4:2 Fts6:2 Fts8:2 Fts9Cl-PF3ONSAdonaAntimony, TotalArsenicAsbestosAtrazineBhc-GammaBariumBenzeneBenzo(A)PyreneBeryllium, TotalChlorobenzeneCyanideCadmiumCarbofuranCarbon TetrachlorideChlordaneChromiumDichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDinosebDiquatEthylene DibromideEndothallEndrinEthylbenzeneFluorideGlyphosateHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoMercuryMethoxychlorNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitriteOxamylPfbaPFBSPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpaPfhpsPfhxaPFHXSPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPFOAPFOSPfpeaPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSeleniumSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneThallium, TotalTolueneTotal Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)ToxapheneTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneLithiumO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: SLUDER, AUTHOR
Phone: 828-497-3005

Frequently asked questions about Cherokee Water

Is Cherokee Water tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 8 contaminants in Cherokee Water's water. A detection isn't the same as a violation — most levels are within federal limits. See each level and source above, and the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report for its official compliance status.

What contaminants were detected in Cherokee Water's water?

EPA monitoring detected Copper, Lead, Nitrate, Lead, Combined Radium (-226 And -228), and others. The full list with the level and data source for each is above.

How many people does Cherokee Water serve?

Cherokee Water reports serving 16,203 people in North Carolina, per its EPA record.

Has Cherokee Water had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 7 violations on file for Cherokee Water, of which 5 are health-based (a contaminant limit or required treatment was breached) and 0 remain open. The rest are monitoring or reporting failures.

Where does this data come from?

Every figure is official EPA drinking-water monitoring — the Lead & Copper Rule, the UCMR-5 nationwide testing program, and the EPA Six-Year Review — not our own testing. Each number is labelled with its source and period.