WASHINGTON, CITY OF

Q: Is WASHINGTON, CITY OF water safe to drink?

WASHINGTON, CITY OF (PWS ID: NC0407010) has 19 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. PFAS contamination has been detected in UCMR5 testing, with 1 PFAS compound found. This system serves 13,000 people using Groundwater sources.

Q: What type of violations does WASHINGTON, CITY OF have?

WASHINGTON, CITY OF has 19 total violations: 2 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 13 monitoring/reporting violations, and 2 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.

Q: Has PFAS been detected in WASHINGTON, CITY OF water?

Yes. UCMR5 testing detected 1 PFAS compound in WASHINGTON, CITY OF's water supply: lithium. PFAS are persistent "forever chemicals" that do not break down in the environment.

Q: What water source does WASHINGTON, CITY OF use?

WASHINGTON, CITY OF uses Groundwater as its primary water source. It is classified as a Community Water System (CWS), serving residential populations year-round.

Q: Where does this data come from?

All data comes from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and the UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program. SDWIS tracks compliance for all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Reviewed byPlainWater Editorial, Drinking Water Quality Editorial Team · June 3, 2026

PWS ID: NC0407010 · WASHINGTON, North Carolina 27889

WASHINGTON, CITY OF serves 13,000 people in WASHINGTON, North Carolina using Groundwater water sources. It has 19 recorded EPA violations, including 2 health-based violations. PFAS "forever chemicals" were detected in UCMR5 testing (1 compound found).

Water Quality Snapshot: WASHINGTON, CITY OF

WASHINGTON, CITY OF is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 13,000 residents in WASHINGTON, North Carolina (Beaufort County) through 5,373 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 19 total violations for this system , of which 2 (11%) are health-based — meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 13 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2024.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is TTHM, recorded in 5 violations (MR). Under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, 1 PFAS compound was detected in samples collected from this system, with a maximum reported concentration of 11 ppt. PFAS are persistent synthetic chemicals linked to health effects at very low exposure levels.

Across North Carolina, EPA tracks 5,020 public water systems serving 9,877,724 people, with 524,053 cumulative violations and 38,492 health-based violations on record. About 93% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 104.4 violations. WASHINGTON, CITY OF's 19 violations sit below the North Carolina average. Statewide, 174 of 287 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (60.6%). All figures above are sourced directly from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 public data releases and are updated as EPA publishes new reporting cycles.

PFAS Detected

1 PFAS "forever chemicals" detected in testing under EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.

Population Served

13,000

Total Violations

Health-Based Violations

Water Source

Groundwater

System Details

System Type: Community
Owner Type: Local
Connections: 5,373
County: Beaufort
School/Daycare: No
MCL Violations: 0
Monitoring Violations: 13
Treatment Tech Violations: 2

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant	Category	Count	Latest
TTHM	MR	5	2017
Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate	MR	4	2006
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	MR	4	2017
LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS	RPT	2	2024
Consumer Confidence Rule	Other	2	2005
LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS	TT	2	2024

PFAS Testing Results (UCMR5)

Results from EPA's Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule. 2 of 60 samples detected PFAS.

Contaminant	Date	Result	MRL	Status
PFHpA	4/22/2024	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
PFHxA	4/22/2024	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
PFDoA	4/22/2024	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
PFDA	4/22/2024	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
PFOA	4/22/2024	<0.004 µg/L	0.004 µg/L	Not Detected
PFOS	4/22/2024	<0.004 µg/L	0.004 µg/L	Not Detected
PFNA	4/22/2024	<0.004 µg/L	0.004 µg/L	Not Detected
PFUnA	4/22/2024	<0.002 µg/L	0.002 µg/L	Not Detected
PFHxS	4/22/2024	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
PFTA	4/22/2024	<0.008 µg/L	0.008 µg/L	Not Detected
PFBS	4/22/2024	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
PFTrDA	4/22/2024	<0.007 µg/L	0.007 µg/L	Not Detected
NMeFOSAA	4/22/2024	<0.006 µg/L	0.006 µg/L	Not Detected
lithium	4/22/2024	11.0000 µg/L	9 µg/L	Detected
PFEESA	4/22/2024	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
PFPeS	4/22/2024	<0.004 µg/L	0.004 µg/L	Not Detected
PFHpS	4/22/2024	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
NEtFOSAA	4/22/2024	<0.005 µg/L	0.005 µg/L	Not Detected
11Cl-PF3OUdS	4/22/2024	<0.005 µg/L	0.005 µg/L	Not Detected
NFDHA	4/22/2024	<0.02 µg/L	0.02 µg/L	Not Detected
PFMBA	4/22/2024	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
PFPeA	4/22/2024	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
8:2 FTS	4/22/2024	<0.005 µg/L	0.005 µg/L	Not Detected
4:2 FTS	4/22/2024	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
9Cl-PF3ONS	4/22/2024	<0.002 µg/L	0.002 µg/L	Not Detected
6:2 FTS	4/22/2024	<0.005 µg/L	0.005 µg/L	Not Detected
ADONA	4/22/2024	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
HFPO-DA	4/22/2024	<0.005 µg/L	0.005 µg/L	Not Detected
PFMPA	4/22/2024	<0.004 µg/L	0.004 µg/L	Not Detected
PFBA	4/22/2024	<0.005 µg/L	0.005 µg/L	Not Detected
PFDA	10/9/2023	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
PFBA	10/9/2023	<0.005 µg/L	0.005 µg/L	Not Detected
HFPO-DA	10/9/2023	<0.005 µg/L	0.005 µg/L	Not Detected
ADONA	10/9/2023	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
9Cl-PF3ONS	10/9/2023	<0.002 µg/L	0.002 µg/L	Not Detected
11Cl-PF3OUdS	10/9/2023	<0.005 µg/L	0.005 µg/L	Not Detected
PFOA	10/9/2023	<0.004 µg/L	0.004 µg/L	Not Detected
NMeFOSAA	10/9/2023	<0.006 µg/L	0.006 µg/L	Not Detected
6:2 FTS	10/9/2023	<0.005 µg/L	0.005 µg/L	Not Detected
PFOS	10/9/2023	<0.004 µg/L	0.004 µg/L	Not Detected
PFNA	10/9/2023	<0.004 µg/L	0.004 µg/L	Not Detected
PFHxA	10/9/2023	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
4:2 FTS	10/9/2023	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
8:2 FTS	10/9/2023	<0.005 µg/L	0.005 µg/L	Not Detected
PFMPA	10/9/2023	<0.004 µg/L	0.004 µg/L	Not Detected
PFPeA	10/9/2023	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
PFMBA	10/9/2023	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
PFEESA	10/9/2023	<0.003 µg/L	0.003 µg/L	Not Detected
NFDHA	10/9/2023	<0.02 µg/L	0.02 µg/L	Not Detected
PFPeS	10/9/2023	<0.004 µg/L	0.004 µg/L	Not Detected

Verify This Water System

The figures above are aggregated from EPA's public databases. To verify the underlying records — or to file a complaint, request a Consumer Confidence Report, or check current monitoring status — go directly to the federal and state regulators that enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act for WASHINGTON, CITY OF.

Federal Source of Truth

EPA SDWIS — Federal Reports

EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) holds the federal compliance record for every regulated public water system. Open the system-level report by PWS ID:

View PWS ID NC0407010 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

North Carolina Drinking Water Authority

North Carolina DEQ — Public Water Supply Section is the primacy agency that licenses and inspects WASHINGTON, CITY OF under EPA-delegated authority.

Open NC regulator portal

Source: North Carolina DEQ — Public Water Supply Section

Violation Timeline

Each row links to the EPA SDWIS public record for verification. Cross-reference the contaminant code on EPA's federal report to see violation dates, return-to-compliance status, and enforcement actions.

Year (latest)	Contaminant	Category	Count	EPA Record
2024	LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS	RPT	2	SDWIS / NC0407010 / 5200
2024	LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS	TT	2	SDWIS / NC0407010 / 5200
2017	TTHM	MR	5	SDWIS / NC0407010 / 2950
2017	Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	MR	4	SDWIS / NC0407010 / 2456
2006	Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate	MR	4	SDWIS / NC0407010 / 2035
2005	Consumer Confidence Rule	Other	2	SDWIS / NC0407010 / 7000

How WASHINGTON, CITY OF Compares

Cross-reference this system's record against state averages and the federal MCL framework for context.

Metric	WASHINGTON, CITY OF	North Carolina avg	Federal benchmark
Total violations	19	104.4	SDWA compliance — any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations	2	7.7	Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection	1 compound	60.6%	EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served	13,000	1,968	Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 5,020 regulated public water systems in North Carolina.

Federal MCL reference — Safe Drinking Water Act thresholds ▼

Contaminant	Federal MCL / Action Level	Note
Lead	0 mg/L (Action Level: 0.015 mg/L)	Lead and Copper Rule treatment technique
Arsenic	0.010 mg/L (10 ppb)	Health-based MCL since 2006
Total Coliform	Treatment technique (RTCR)	Indicator organism, monitoring trigger
PFOA / PFOS (PFAS)	4.0 ppt each (final 2024 rule)	Compliance deadline 2029
Nitrate (as N)	10 mg/L	Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is WASHINGTON, CITY OF water safe to drink? ▼

WASHINGTON, CITY OF (PWS ID: NC0407010) has 19 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. PFAS contamination has been detected in UCMR5 testing, with 1 PFAS compound found. This system serves 13,000 people using Groundwater sources.

How many people does WASHINGTON, CITY OF serve? ▼

WASHINGTON, CITY OF serves 13,000 people in WASHINGTON, North Carolina. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 5,373 service connections.

What type of violations does WASHINGTON, CITY OF have? ▼

WASHINGTON, CITY OF has 19 total violations: 2 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 13 monitoring/reporting violations, and 2 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.

Has PFAS been detected in WASHINGTON, CITY OF water? ▼

Yes. UCMR5 testing detected 1 PFAS compound in WASHINGTON, CITY OF's water supply: lithium. PFAS are persistent "forever chemicals" that do not break down in the environment.

What water source does WASHINGTON, CITY OF use? ▼

WASHINGTON, CITY OF uses Groundwater as its primary water source. It is classified as a Community Water System (CWS), serving residential populations year-round.

Where does this data come from? ▼

All data comes from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and the UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program. SDWIS tracks compliance for all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

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Data Sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), Q4 2025. PFAS data from EPA UCMR5 monitoring program (2023-2025). This data is provided for informational purposes only.

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Data sourced from $official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by Kiznis Studio Editorial