States → North Carolina
State profile · EPA SDWIS + UCMR5
North Carolina Drinking Water Quality
5,020 public water systems serve 9,877,724 people across North Carolina, with every Safe Drinking Water Act violation and UCMR5 PFAS result on record.
- 5,020
- Water systems
- 524,053
- Total violations
- 92.9%
- Systems w/ a violation
- 60.6%
- PFAS detection rate
The verdict
Across North Carolina, 4,663 of 5,020 water systems (92.9%) carry at least one EPA violation, and 174 of 287 UCMR5-tested systems show PFAS.
- 524,053
- Total EPA violations on record
- 7%
- Health-based (MCL / treatment)
- 92.9%
- Systems with ≥1 violation
- 60.6%
- UCMR5 PFAS detection rate
Water Systems
5,020
Total Violations
524,053
Violation Rate
92.9%
PFAS Detection
60.6%
174 of 287 tested
Violation Composition
How North Carolina's 524,053 violations break down by type, per EPA SDWIS classification.
Health-based (38,492) Monitoring/Reporting (485,561)
| Metric | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Public water systems | 5,020 | - |
| Population served | 9,877,724 | - |
| Total violations | 524,053 | 100% |
| Health-based violations | 38,492 | 7.3% |
| Systems with violations | 4,663 | 92.9% |
| PFAS detection rate | 174 of 287 | 60.6% |
Health-based violations indicate the contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) or treatment-technique requirement. Monitoring/reporting violations indicate procedural issues (missed tests, late reports) - not necessarily a contamination event.
Largest Water Systems
Charlotte Water
Charlotte, NC · 1,163,701 served
Raleigh, City Of
Raleigh, NC · 640,000 served
Winston-Salem, City Of
Pfafftown, NC · 388,060 served
Durham, City Of
Durham, NC · 322,083 served
Greensboro, City Of
Greensboro, NC · 319,588 served
Cary, Town Of
Cary, NC · 224,000 served
Fayetteville Public Works Comm
Fayetteville, NC · 215,590 served
Cfpua-Wilmington
Wilmington, NC · 198,740 served
Union County Water System
Monroe, NC · 167,554 served
Asheville City Of
Asheville, NC · 157,431 served
Onslow Wtr and Sewer Authority
Jacksonville, NC · 156,755 served
Davidson Water Inc
Welcome, NC · 153,632 served
Brunswick County Water System
Bolivia, NC · 142,227 served
Concord, City Of
Concord, NC · 120,548 served
High Point, City Of
High Point, NC · 118,399 served
Harnett Regional Water
Lillington, NC · 116,892 served
Greenville Utilities Comm
Greenville, NC · 103,140 served
Two Rivers Utilities
Gastonia, NC · 93,877 served
Johnston Co-West
Smithfield, NC · 92,365 served
Orange Water & Sewer Authority
Carrboro, NC · 86,300 served
Most Violations
#1 Circle H MHP Aberdeen
6,905 #2 Imagination Station Academy, LLC Wake Forest
3,749 #3 Turkey Pen MHP Cary
3,092 #4 Walnut Cove, Town Of Walnut Cove
2,973 #5 Rha Health Services, LLC Charlotte
2,659 #6 Kensington Place S/D Birmingham
2,343 #7 Sapphire Lakes Development Rosman
2,275 #8 Westwood MHP Monroe
2,116 #9 Oak Level MHP Nashville
2,093 #10 Cameron, Town Of Cameron
1,945 #11 Asheboro Country Club Estates Birmingham
1,924 #12 Saratoga Town Of Lucama
1,887 #13 Orchard View Park Mount Airy
1,853 #14 Weatherstone @ Olde Forest S/D Birmingham
1,837 #15 Whispering Pines MHP Durham
1,782 Counties in North Carolina
Mecklenburg
61 systems · 1,181,269 served
· 8,081 violations
Wake
437 systems · 1,145,508 served
· 42,422 violations
Guilford
202 systems · 489,022 served
· 30,107 violations
Forsyth
19 systems · 392,063 served
· 2,199 violations
Cumberland
90 systems · 349,358 served
· 9,862 violations
Durham
50 systems · 329,624 served
· 6,257 violations
Onslow
20 systems · 288,498 served
· 2,366 violations
New Hanover
67 systems · 237,607 served
· 5,068 violations
Brunswick
27 systems · 234,624 served
· 1,546 violations
Union
42 systems · 221,518 served
· 3,657 violations
Davidson
8 systems · 212,093 served
· 871 violations
Buncombe
106 systems · 205,247 served
· 10,869 violations
Johnston
54 systems · 204,441 served
· 7,155 violations
Gaston
255 systems · 198,602 served
· 26,256 violations
Pitt
15 systems · 172,848 served
· 1,946 violations
Cabarrus
68 systems · 154,756 served
· 13,403 violations
Harnett
9 systems · 151,047 served
· 428 violations
Catawba
148 systems · 145,176 served
· 13,944 violations
Iredell
123 systems · 142,971 served
· 11,569 violations
Alamance
99 systems · 134,389 served
· 11,703 violations
Rowan
195 systems · 133,720 served
· 16,867 violations
Craven
15 systems · 125,817 served
· 902 violations
Wayne
11 systems · 124,816 served
· 1,280 violations
Orange
67 systems · 118,561 served
· 11,617 violations
Robeson
13 systems · 109,476 served
· 2,256 violations
Cleveland
10 systems · 104,768 served
· 1,513 violations
Moore
65 systems · 101,362 served
· 16,035 violations
Henderson
106 systems · 94,309 served
· 6,924 violations
Nash
54 systems · 81,242 served
· 11,276 violations
Burke
51 systems · 75,954 served
· 2,095 violations
Showing top 30 of 100 counties.
Drinking Water Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How many water systems are in North Carolina? ▼
North Carolina has 5,020 public water systems serving approximately 9,877,724 people. These include community water systems, non-transient non-community systems, and transient non-community systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
How many drinking water violations are in North Carolina? ▼
North Carolina has 524,053 total drinking water violations on record, with 38,492 classified as health-based violations. 92.9% of water systems in the state have at least one violation.
Has PFAS been found in North Carolina drinking water? ▼
Of 287 water systems tested for PFAS in North Carolina, 174 had PFAS detected, a 60.6% detection rate. PFAS are persistent "forever chemicals" that do not break down in the environment.
What is the violation rate for North Carolina water systems? ▼
North Carolina's violation rate is 92.9%. This measures the percentage of public water systems that have at least one recorded violation in the EPA SDWIS database, including both health-based and monitoring/reporting violations.
Where does this North Carolina water data come from? ▼
All drinking water data comes from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and the UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program. SDWIS is the federal database that tracks compliance for all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Data Sources & Methodology
Drinking water violation data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). PFAS testing data from the UCMR5 monitoring program. SDWIS tracks all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Data sourced from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 PFAS monitoring data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainWater Editorial
Every figure on PlainWater is rendered directly from EPA SDWIS drinking-water data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on EPA SDWIS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.