Overview
EWG's drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by the water utility and provided to the Environmental Working Group by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, as well as information from the U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History database (ECHO). For the latest quarter assessed by the U.S. EPA (April 2024 - June 2024), tap water provided by this water utility was in compliance with federal health-based drinking water standards.
Legal does not necessarily equal safe.
Getting a passing grade from the federal government does not mean the water meets the latest health guidelines.
Legal limits for contaminants in tap water have not been updated in almost 20 years.
The best way to ensure clean tap water is to keep pollution out of source water in the first place.
Contaminants Detected
Nitrate
Potential Effect: cancer
This Utility: 6.49 ppm
Legal Limit: 10 ppm
46x
EWG's Health Guideline: 0.14 ppm
Nitrate
Nitrate, a fertilizer chemical, frequently contaminates drinking water due to agricultural and urban runoff, and discharges from municipal wastewater treatment plants and septic tanks. Excessive nitrate in water can cause oxygen deprivation in infants and increase the risk of cancer. Click here to read more about nitrate.
Nitrate was found at 46 times above EWG's Health Guideline.
EWG Health Guideline
This Utility
Legal Limit
National Average
State Average
Health Risks
The EWG health guideline of 0.14 parts per million, or ppm, for nitrate and nitrite is based on the equivalent health guideline for nitrate, as defined in a peer-reviewed scientific study by EWG. This guideline represents a one-in-one-million annual cancer risk level.
Understanding the Data
The state and national averages were calculated using the averages of the contaminant measurements for each utility in 2021-2023.
ppm = parts per millionPollution Sources
Agriculture
Runoff & Sprawl
Naturally Occurring
Filtering Options
Reverse Osmosis
Ion Exchange
Nitrate and nitrite
Potential Effect: cancer
This Utility: 7.18 ppm
Legal Limit: 10 ppm
51x
EWG's Health Guideline: 0.14 ppm
Nitrate and nitrite
Nitrate and nitrite enter water from fertilizer runoff, septic tanks and urban runoff. These contaminants can cause oxygen deprivation for infants and increase the risk of cancer. Nitrite is significantly more toxic than nitrate. Click here to read more about nitrate.
Nitrate and nitrite was found at 51 times above EWG's Health Guideline.
EWG Health Guideline
This Utility
Legal Limit
National Average
State Average
Health Risks
The EWG health guideline of 0.14 parts per million, or ppm, for nitrate and nitrite is based on the equivalent health guideline for nitrate, as defined in a peer-reviewed scientific study by EWG. This guideline represents a one-in-one-million annual cancer risk level.
Understanding the Data
The state and national averages were calculated using the averages of the contaminant measurements for each utility in 2021-2023.
ppm = parts per millionPollution Sources
Agriculture
Runoff & Sprawl
Naturally Occurring
Filtering Options
Reverse Osmosis
Ion Exchange
Radium, combined (-226 and -228)
Over Legal Limit
This Utility: 6.18 pCi/L
Legal Limit: 5 pCi/L
EWG's Health Guideline: 0.05 pCi/L
Radium, combined (-226 and -228)
Radium is a radioactive element that causes bone cancer and other cancers. It can occur naturally in groundwater, and oil and gas extraction activities such as hydraulic fracturing can elevate concentrations.
Radium, combined (-226 and -228) was found at 124 times above EWG's Health Guideline.
EWG Health Guideline
This Utility
Legal Limit
National Average
State Average
Health Risks
EWG applied the health guideline of 0.05 pCi/L, defined by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as a public health goal for radium-226, to radium-226 and radium-228 combined. This health guideline protects against cancer.
Understanding the Data
The state and national averages were calculated using the averages of the contaminant measurements for each utility in 2018-2023.
pCi/L = picocuries per literPollution Sources
Industry
Naturally Occurring
Filtering Options
Reverse Osmosis
Ion Exchange
Includes chemicals detected in 2021-2023 for which annual utility averages exceeded the federal Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL); chemicals detected in 2021-2023 for which annual utility averages exceeded an EWG-selected health guideline established by a federal or state public health authority; radiological contaminants detected between 2018 and 2023.
Manganese
This Utility: 18.5 ppb
No Legal Limit
EWG's Health Guideline: 100 ppb
Manganese
Manganese is a naturally occurring element that is common in food and drinking water. Excessive manganese exposures may impair children's attention, memory and intellectual capacity. Click here to read more about manganese.
How your levels compare
EWG Health Guideline
This Utility
National Average
State Average
Health Risks
The EWG Health Guideline of 100 ppb for manganese was defined by the state of Minnesota as a health risk limit, the concentration of a contaminant that can be consumed with little or no risk to health. This health guideline protects against harm to the brain and nervous system.
Understanding the Data
The state and national averages were calculated using the averages of the contaminant measurements for each utility in 2013-2023.
ppb = parts per billionPollution Sources
Industry
Naturally Occurring
Filtering Options
Ion Exchange
Includes chemicals detected in 2021-2023 for which annual utility averages were lower than an EWG-selected health guideline established by a federal or state public health authority.
Other Contaminants Tested
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Explore filter options for each contaminant. See which technologies are effective at reducing specific contaminants to help you make an informed decision on the best water treatment solution for your needs.
| CONTAMINANTS ABOVE HEALTH GUIDELINES | activated carbon | reverse osmosis | ion exchange |
| Nitrate | |||
| Nitrate & nitrite | |||
| Radium, combined (-226 & -228) | |||
| OTHER CONTAMINANTS DETECTED | activated carbon | reverse osmosis | ion exchange |
| Manganese |
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