waterbycounty
EPA SDWIS

Rutherford County Water Quality

Rutherford County, North Carolina

Water Grade

C

Water Score

51.8

Violations

7

State Rank

#51

of 100 (1 = best)

EPA SDWIS Compliance

Drinking Water Quality

Water Quality Grade

C

Based on EPA compliance history and violation data

Water Score

51.8/100

Higher = better quality

Health Violations

7

Health-based violations

Violation Rate

14.0%

Systems with violations

Water Advisory: Rutherford County

Water Verdict

Rutherford County receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 51.8 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking.

Violation Context

Rutherford County has recorded 7 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 14.0 violations per 1,000 residents, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Rutherford 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 7 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

Rutherford County has water quality close to the average county in North Carolina. Its water score is within 1.2 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

22

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

5.3K

5,254 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

31.0cfs

May 14, 6:45 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

27%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

SECOND BROAD RIVER NR LOGAN, NC

USGS site
02150495
Drainage area
86.2 sq mi
Long-term mean
115 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 Rutherford County, North Carolina?
Rutherford County, North Carolina has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 51.8/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 7 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 Rutherford County?
Rutherford County has 7 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 Rutherford County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 5,254 measurements from 22 monitoring sites in Rutherford 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 Rutherford County right now?
Rutherford County's primary USGS streamgage on the SECOND BROAD RIVER is currently reading 31 cubic feet per second — 27% of the long-term mean of 115 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 Rutherford County water compare to the North Carolina average?
Rutherford County's SDWIS water quality score of 51.8/100 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 Rutherford County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Rutherford County has a water quality grade of C (51.8/100). 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 Rutherford County have so many water violations?
Rutherford County has 7 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 Rutherford County rank for water quality in North Carolina?
Rutherford County ranks #51 out of 100 counties in North Carolina by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 51.8/100, 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

Madison County

North Carolina

C

52.0

Water score

Henderson County

North Carolina

C

51.5

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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