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County water report

Swain County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Swain County, North Carolina.

Water grade

D

Water score

47.9

State rank

#60

of 100

Health violations

1

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

64

24,743 recent measurements

Live streamflow

38%

TUCKASEGEE RIVER AT BRYSON CITY, NC

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Swain County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

D

Score: 47.9 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

1

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

38% of mean

TUCKASEGEE RIVER AT BRYSON CITY, NC

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

64

24,743 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

D

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

47.9/100

Health violations

1

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

19.3

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Swain County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Swain County's drinking water received a D grade, scoring 47.9 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 1 health-based violation — a single incident worth monitoring.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T14:15:00.000-04:00) puts TUCKASEGEE RIVER at 606.0 cfs — well below its long-term average at 38% of mean — low-flow conditions worth noting for water-dependent ecosystems. Streamflow is a leading indicator of drought stress, sediment load, and dilution capacity: low flows concentrate pollutants and warm water temperatures, stressing aquatic life and, in surface-water-dependent systems, the source water quality for treatment plants.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Swain County has extensive coverage with 64 active monitoring sites with 24,743 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and inorganics, minor, metals. More monitoring sites generally indicate greater scientific attention to local water conditions — and provide the baseline data that regulators use to set future impairment listings.

Editorial advisory

What the data suggests for Swain County

Water Verdict

Swain County receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of D and a score of 47.9 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking.

Violation Context

Swain County has recorded 1 health-based violation, meaning the water system experienced at least one exceedance of federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements. At 19.3 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Swain County's drinking-water compliance is below average with a Grade D, indicating repeated or unresolved violations in the recent record. Swain County's drinking-water compliance score is 47.9 out of 100. The violation rate for Swain County is 19.3 per 100,000 people served. Residents are encouraged to use an NSF 53 or NSF 58-certified filter for drinking and cooking water until the underlying violations are resolved. Running tap water for 30 seconds before use and avoiding older lead-pipe connections can also reduce exposure risk. The current Consumer Confidence Report from your utility will specify the contaminants of concern. With 64 active water-quality monitoring sites in Swain County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the TUCKASEGEE RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Swain County has poorer water quality than the average county in North Carolina. Its water score is 5.1 points lower than the state average, suggesting more challenges with contamination control or infrastructure than neighboring counties.

Advisory text summarizes county-level public records and is not a replacement for your utility's current Consumer Confidence Report or direct local notices.

Contaminants & Resources

Key issues flagged in Swain County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Swain County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Swain County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Swain County

Consumer Confidence Reports (NC)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in North Carolina

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

64

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

25K

24,743 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Inorganics, Minor, Metals
  • Inorganics, Major, Metals

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

606cfs

May 14, 6:15 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

38%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

TUCKASEGEE RIVER AT BRYSON CITY, NC

USGS site
03513000
Drainage area
655 sq mi
Long-term mean
1,598 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; the percent-of-typical value compares the latest reading against that average.

Free tool

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Water Cost Estimate

3

3 people  ·  ~225 gal/day

Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Swain County:D — Poor

Elevated violations or significant watershed impairment.

Estimates use the national average residential water rate ($0.0068/gal, EPA/AWWA 2023) and EPA WaterSense per-person consumption baseline (75 gal/person/day). Actual bills vary by utility, usage tier, and local infrastructure fees. For informational purposes only.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Swain County, North Carolina?
Swain County, North Carolina has a drinking-water quality grade of D with a score of 47.9/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 1 health-based drinking water violation over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Swain County?
Swain County has 1 health-based drinking water violation 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 Swain County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 24,743 measurements from 64 monitoring sites in Swain County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Inorganics, Minor, Metals, Inorganics, Major, Metals. 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 Swain County right now?
Swain County's primary USGS streamgage on the TUCKASEGEE RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 606 cubic feet per second — 38% of the long-term mean of 1,598.11 cfs. This is well below typical — often a signal of drought stress on source water. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Swain County water compare to the North Carolina average?
Swain County's SDWIS water quality score of 47.9/100 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 Swain County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Swain County has a water quality grade of D (47.9/100). This indicates below-average compliance with significant violations. Residents may want to consider home water filtration or independent testing. 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).
Does Swain County have clean drinking water?
Swain County has 1 health-based drinking water violation according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 47.9/100 and grade D, the county's drinking water has had some compliance issues but continues to be monitored. Note: drinking-water compliance speaks to the public water system, not necessarily to the watershed itself — check the Watershed Health zone for ATTAINS §303(d) data.
How does Swain County rank for water quality in North Carolina?
Swain County ranks #60 out of 100 counties in North Carolina by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 47.9/100, 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

Columbus County

North Carolina

D

48.1

Water score

Scotland County

North Carolina

D

47.5

Water score

Cherokee County

North Carolina

D

47.4

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 Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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