States › North Carolina

North Carolina Tap Water Quality 2026

EPA drinking water data for 734 cities across North Carolina — covering lead levels, violation history, and compliance status.

Systems tracked: 487 Cities covered: 734 Updated: 2026 Q2
A

North Carolina earns an A for overall water quality

734 communities across 100 counties and 487 water systems. 99.2% have no open violations.

Median lead where detected: 4.00 ppb
86.4% of systems report lead as not detected — a state filing convention, not a water quality measure
PFAS tested at 58.2% of communities; 87 above the federal limit
Lead reported for 100.0% of communities
99.2% of communities have no open violations
Water Systems
487
Active community systems
Median Lead Level
4 ppb
27% of EPA action level
Fully Compliant
99.2%
of systems — no active violations
How we grade states Grades are based on actual EPA enforcement data — MCL violations and lead levels measured against the 15 ppb federal action level. We do not use MCLG-based detections, which are aspirational zero-tolerance goals that would make nearly every state look dangerous. Read our full methodology →

Best & Worst Cities in North Carolina

✓ Cleanest Water
Atlantic
Carteret County
0.0 ppb B
South Mills
Camden County
0.0 ppb A
Roxobel
Bertie County
0.0 ppb A
Charlotte
Mecklenburg County
0.0 ppb A
Raleigh
Wake County
0.0 ppb A
Winston-Salem
Forsyth County
0.0 ppb A
⚠ Needs Attention
Nashville
Nash County
0.0 ppb D
Harrisburg
Cabarrus County
0.0 ppb D
Butner
Granville County
3.0 ppb D
Wake Forest
Wake County
0.0 ppb D
Hayesville
Clay County
0.0 ppb D
Aberdeen
Moore County
0.0 ppb D

Water Quality by County

100 of 100
Sort:
CountySystemsLead LevelViolationsGrade
Robeson County 22 13.0 ppb 0 C
New Hanover County 18 5.0 ppb 0 A
Brunswick County 17 No data 0 C
Cleveland County 16 No data 0 A
Henderson County 16 No data 0 A
Gaston County 15 1.0 ppb 0 A
Carteret County 15 4.0 ppb 0 B
Dare County 15 3.9 ppb 0 A
Union County 14 No data 0 A
Craven County 13 4.2 ppb 0 A

About North Carolina Drinking Water

North Carolina is served by 487 community water systems covering 734 communities across 100 counties. 99.2% have no open violation on record.

Lead was detected in 100 communities, with a median of 4.00 ppb — 27% of the federal action level. A further 634 reported none detected. That share is a state reporting convention rather than a measure of water quality, so it is stated separately rather than averaged in.

PFAS has been tested at 58.2% of communities here, and 87 are above the limits EPA set in 2024. Coverage matters: states that test more find more, so this figure is not comparable with a state that has tested less.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is North Carolina tap water safe to drink? ▼
99.2% of communities have no open violation on record. 87 have PFAS above the federal limit set in 2024, which is the main open concern.
Does North Carolina have a lead problem? ▼
26 water systems report a 90th-percentile lead result at or above the 15 ppb action level. The action level is a treatment trigger, not a legal maximum, and 634 communities report no detection at all.
How complete is the data for North Carolina? ▼
Lead results are reported for 100.0% of communities and PFAS for 58.2%. Where a figure is missing it is shown as not reported rather than assumed safe.
How does North Carolina compare with other states? ▼
We do not rank states against each other. Lead reporting completeness ranges from under 20% to 100% depending on the state, so a national ranking would compare filing practice rather than water quality.