waterbycounty
EPA SDWIS

Buncombe County Water Quality

Buncombe County, North Carolina

Water Grade

C

Water Score

50.9

Violations

29

State Rank

#55

of 100 (1 = best)

EPA SDWIS Compliance

Drinking Water Quality

Water Quality Grade

C

Based on EPA compliance history and violation data

Water Score

50.9/100

Higher = better quality

Health Violations

29

Health-based violations

Violation Rate

14.9%

Systems with violations

Water Advisory: Buncombe County

Water Verdict

Buncombe County receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 50.9 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking.

Violation Context

Buncombe County has recorded 29 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 14.9 violations per 1,000 residents, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Buncombe County meets baseline standards, but residents who are immunocompromised or have young children may want to use an NSF-certified water filter as a precaution. With 29 recorded health violations, staying informed about utility communications and boil-water notices is especially important. For long-term peace of mind, request your utility's latest Consumer Confidence Report and consider independent water testing if you have specific health concerns.

Regional Context

Buncombe County has water quality close to the average county in North Carolina. Its water score is within 2.1 points of the state average, meaning its overall water system performance is broadly representative of North Carolina as a whole.

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

35

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

8.1K

8,113 total readings

Most Measured

  • Organics, Other
  • Physical
  • Organics, Pesticide

Categories measured most frequently

Data from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), aggregating monitoring records from federal, state, and tribal sources. Each measurement represents a single sample analyzed for a specific characteristic (e.g., E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrogen).

Live USGS Streamgage

River & Stream Conditions

Current Discharge

631cfs

May 14, 6:30 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

30%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

FRENCH BROAD RIVER AT ASHEVILLE, NC

USGS site
03451500
Drainage area
945 sq mi
Long-term mean
2,103 cfs

One representative streamgage (the one with the largest drainage area in the county). Many counties have multiple gauges — this view summarizes the primary one. The long-term mean is the full-record annual average; "% of typical" compares the latest reading against that average.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Buncombe County, North Carolina?
Buncombe County, North Carolina has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 50.9/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 29 health-based drinking water violations over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and live streamflow are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Buncombe County?
Buncombe County has 29 health-based drinking water violations recorded by the EPA over the past 5 years. Health-based violations indicate instances where contaminant levels exceeded EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). Violations may have been resolved — check with your local water utility for current status.
How much water-quality monitoring happens in Buncombe County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 8,113 measurements from 35 monitoring sites in Buncombe County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Organics, Other, Physical, Organics, Pesticide. Each measurement is a single sample analyzed for one characteristic (E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, etc.). High monitoring density means more scientific evidence behind any reported signal — it does not by itself indicate water quality.
What's happening with rivers in Buncombe County right now?
Buncombe County's primary USGS streamgage on the FRENCH BROAD RIVER is currently reading 631 cubic feet per second — 30% of the long-term mean of 2,102.74 cfs. This is well below typical — often a signal of drought stress on source water. For genuine real-time data, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Buncombe County water compare to the North Carolina average?
Buncombe County's SDWIS water quality score of 50.9/100 is lower than the North Carolina state average of 53.0. The average water quality grade across North Carolina is D, based on data from 100 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Buncombe County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Buncombe County has a water quality grade of C (50.9/100). This indicates moderate compliance. Some violations have been recorded but overall standards are maintained. The grade speaks to the public water system, not the watershed — for watershed-level concerns, see the Watershed Health zone. For the most up-to-date information, contact your local water utility or review your Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).
Why does Buncombe County have so many water violations?
Buncombe County has 29 health-based drinking water violations on record from the EPA SDWIS database. A higher violation count can result from aging infrastructure, underfunded water utilities, agricultural runoff contamination, or industrial pollution. Counties with more water systems may also see more violations simply due to scale. Residents concerned about water quality should consider independent water testing and home filtration systems.
How does Buncombe County rank for water quality in North Carolina?
Buncombe County ranks #55 out of 100 counties in North Carolina by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 50.9/100, it falls in the middle third of counties statewide. The ranking reflects EPA SDWIS compliance only — not watershed impairment, monitoring density, or streamflow, which are tracked separately on this page.

Counties with Similar Water Quality

Mitchell County

North Carolina

C

50.9

Water score

Chatham County

North Carolina

C

51.0

Water score

Duplin County

North Carolina

C

51.2

Water score

Data Sources

Drinking-water compliance data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) via the ECHO enforcement database. Scores reflect compliance history and health-based violation counts.

Water-quality monitoring counts from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP) — federated USGS, EPA, and state agency sampling records over a rolling 5-year window.

Live streamflow from the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) — continuous discharge measurements from the largest-drainage gauge in each county, compared against the full-record long-term annual mean.

Disclaimer: This data is informational only. It is not health, legal, or professional advice. For concerns about your specific water supply, contact your local water utility.

By Logan Johnson, Founder & Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Logan Johnson, Founder & Data Editor

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