Carolina Trace Water System: drinking water record
Three things here need attention.
One thing could not be determined from the record.
What EPA and state records show about this community water system — compliance, PFAS testing, lead sampling, and where its water comes from. Serving about 4,516 people in Lee County.
4,516people served
1health-based violations since 2021
1without recorded resolution
0administrative (paperwork) records
What the records flag
Needs attention
This system buys water from SANFORD, CITY OF, which has 1 unresolved health-based violation
Purchased water is treated by the seller before it arrives, so the seller's compliance record travels with the water it sells.
Water purchased from
SANFORD, CITY OF
Seller's unresolved health-based
1
Official record for your water system · U.S. EPA — Safe Drinking Water Act compliance records · retrieved 2026-08-16 · source
Needs attention
1 health-based violation with no recorded resolution
A health-based violation means a contaminant limit or a required treatment step wasn't met.
Health-based, since 2021
1
Without recorded resolution
1
Official record for your water system · U.S. EPA — Safe Drinking Water Act compliance records · retrieved 2026-08-16 · source
Needs attention
PFOS measured at 14 ppt — above the 4 ppt limit systems must meet by 2029
This is not a violation today. EPA's PFAS limits take effect in 2029 (an extension to 2031 has been proposed).
PFOA
9.7 ppt (limit 4)
PFOS
14 ppt (limit 4)
Measured in your water system · U.S. EPA — UCMR5 nationwide PFAS monitoring · retrieved 2026-08-15 · source
Lead & copper sampling
Lead: latest 90th-percentile result 0 ppb — below the 10 ppb action level (sampled 2025-12-31, 4 results in the 10-year window).
The 90th-percentile result means 9 out of 10 sampled homes were at or below this level. It measures the water system's corrosion control — it cannot tell you whether your own home's plumbing adds lead. Results older than 10 years, future-dated compliance periods, and physically implausible values are excluded.
PFAS testing
29 PFAS compounds tested under EPA's UCMR5 program; 8 detected.
PFOA: up to 9.7 ppt — above the 4 ppt limit systems must meet by 2029.
PFOS: up to 14 ppt — above the 4 ppt limit systems must meet by 2029.
UCMR5 sampling (2023–2026) at entry points to the distribution system. 'Not detected' means below the reporting limit (~4 ppt for PFOA/PFOS), not zero. A result above a future MCL is not a violation today — compliance deadlines are 2029 (2031 extension proposed). These results describe treated water leaving the plant — not the river or lake this system draws from.
Where the water comes from
Surface water.
Buys water from City of Sanford — which has 1 unresolved health-based violation on record. Purchased water is treated by the seller, so the seller's record travels with it.
What the record doesn’t establish
Whether your home's own plumbing adds lead or copper — no dataset covers indoor pipes.
Common questions
Does Carolina Trace Water System have drinking water violations?
EPA compliance records list 1 health-based violation since 2021, 1 without a recorded resolution. Administrative (paperwork) records are counted separately and never added in.
Has Carolina Trace Water System been tested for PFAS?
Yes — 29 PFAS compounds under EPA's UCMR5 program, with 8 detected. PFOA measured up to 9.7 ppt, above the 4 ppt limit that takes effect in 2029; PFOS measured up to 14 ppt, above the 4 ppt limit that takes effect in 2029. Samples are taken at entry points to the distribution system — treated water, not source water.
How many people does Carolina Trace Water System serve?
EPA records list about 4,516 people served in Lee. Service-area boundaries have known errors — a water bill is the ground truth for any single address.
Records lag their agencies' refresh cycles — a recent change may not appear yet. Absence from a dataset is absence of a record, never evidence that water is clean.
Go deeper
Search any address this system serves for the full report — the waters around it, what's permitted upstream, and every term explained.