North Carolina PFAS results from EPA's final data
Report published Nov 14, 2026 · EPA UCMR 5 final data file of Oct 15, 2026 (samples collected 2023–2025) · Method · National results →
66 North Carolina water systems serving 2.5 million people had PFAS above a 2024 federal limit in EPA's final round of nationwide PFAS testing: 23% of the 285 North Carolina systems tested, compared with 11% nationally.
Highest PFOA or PFOS averages in North Carolina
- Town of Nashville Nashville · PFOS345 ppt
- City of Greensboro Greensboro · PFOS27.4 ppt
- Brookwood Community Water System Fayetteville · PFOA26.6 ppt
- Robeson County Water System Maxton · PFOA26 ppt
- Cliffdale West Water System Fayetteville · PFOS17.4 ppt
- Fayetteville Public Works Commission Fayetteville · PFOS16.9 ppt
- Bayleaf Master Water System Raleigh · PFOS15.8 ppt
- Grassy Pond Water Corporation Cliffside · PFOS15 ppt
- Iredell Water Corporation Statesville · PFOA13.6 ppt
- City of Dunn Erwin · PFOS12.7 ppt
- Carolina Trace Water System Sanford · PFOS12.3 ppt
- Town of Ocean Isle Beach Ocean Isle Beach · PFOS12.1 ppt
- City of Sanford Sanford · PFOS12.1 ppt
- Town of Benson Benson · PFOS11.9 ppt
- Eastover Sanitary District Eastover · PFOS11.8 ppt
Chart data as a table
| System | ppt |
|---|---|
| Town of Nashville · Nashville · PFOS | 345 |
| City of Greensboro · Greensboro · PFOS | 27.4 |
| Brookwood Community Water System · Fayetteville · PFOA | 26.6 |
| Robeson County Water System · Maxton · PFOA | 26 |
| Cliffdale West Water System · Fayetteville · PFOS | 17.4 |
| Fayetteville Public Works Commission · Fayetteville · PFOS | 16.9 |
| Bayleaf Master Water System · Raleigh · PFOS | 15.8 |
| Grassy Pond Water Corporation · Cliffside · PFOS | 15 |
| Iredell Water Corporation · Statesville · PFOA | 13.6 |
| City of Dunn · Erwin · PFOS | 12.7 |
| Carolina Trace Water System · Sanford · PFOS | 12.3 |
| Town of Ocean Isle Beach · Ocean Isle Beach · PFOS | 12.1 |
| City of Sanford · Sanford · PFOS | 12.1 |
| Town of Benson · Benson · PFOS | 11.9 |
| Eastover Sanitary District · Eastover · PFOS | 11.8 |
Largest systems above a limit
| # | System | People served |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | City of Durham Durham Above: PFOS | 333,490 |
| 2 | City of Greensboro Greensboro Above: PFOS | 319,588 |
| 3 | Fayetteville Public Works Commission Fayetteville Above: PFOA, PFOS | 226,441 |
| 4 | Brunswick County Water System Leland Above: PFOA, PFOS | 151,357 |
| 5 | Harnett Regional Water Lillington Above: PFOA, PFOS | 121,885 |
| 6 | City of Concord Concord Above: PFOS | 120,771 |
| 7 | City of High Point High Point Above: PFOS | 118,662 |
| 8 | Johnston County – West Garner Above: PFOA, PFOS | 99,027 |
| 9 | Robeson County Water System Maxton Above: PFOA, PFOS, HFPO-DA, Hazard Index | 67,970 |
| 10 | Old North Utilities Services/Ft Bragg Fayetteville Above: PFOA, PFOS | 65,000 |
All 66 North Carolina systems above a limit
Every North Carolina community water system whose UCMR 5 results averaged above a 2024 federal PFAS limit, largest first. Systems that were not tested are not listed: not tested is not the same as not detected.
Full list: 66 systems, largest first
| System | People served |
|---|---|
| City of Durham Durham Above: PFOS | 333,490 |
| City of Greensboro Greensboro Above: PFOS | 319,588 |
| Fayetteville Public Works Commission Fayetteville Above: PFOA, PFOS | 226,441 |
| Brunswick County Water System Leland Above: PFOA, PFOS | 151,357 |
| Harnett Regional Water Lillington Above: PFOA, PFOS | 121,885 |
| City of Concord Concord Above: PFOS | 120,771 |
| City of High Point High Point Above: PFOS | 118,662 |
| Johnston County – West Garner Above: PFOA, PFOS | 99,027 |
| Robeson County Water System Maxton Above: PFOA, PFOS, HFPO-DA, Hazard Index | 67,970 |
| Old North Utilities Services/Ft Bragg Fayetteville Above: PFOA, PFOS | 65,000 |
| City of Burlington Burlington Above: PFOA, PFOS | 61,365 |
| City of Rocky Mount Rocky Mount Above: PFOA, PFOS | 55,891 |
| Town of Holly Springs Holly Springs Above: PFOA, PFOS | 51,947 |
| Lincoln County Water Treatment Plant Denver Above: PFOA | 49,693 |
| City of Sanford Sanford Above: PFOA, PFOS | 48,350 |
| City of Goldsboro Goldsboro Above: PFOA, PFOS | 34,959 |
| Moore County Public Utilities – Pinehurst Pinehurst Above: PFOS | 31,390 |
| Iredell Water Corporation Statesville Above: PFOA, PFOS | 29,370 |
| City of Asheboro Asheboro Above: PFOS | 27,819 |
| City of Kinston Kinston Above: PFOS | 27,475 |
| Town of Oak Island Oak Island Above: PFOS | 26,924 |
| Johnston County – East Smithfield Above: PFOA, PFOS | 25,212 |
| City of Lumberton Lumberton Above: PFOA, PFOS | 24,460 |
| Town of Harrisburg Harrisburg Above: PFOS | 20,549 |
| City of Mebane Mebane Above: PFOA, PFOS | 20,212 |
| South Granville Water&sewer Authority Butner Above: PFOA, PFOS | 18,555 |
| City of Graham Mebane Above: PFOA, PFOS | 18,354 |
| Bayleaf Master Water System Raleigh Above: PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, Hazard Index | 16,715 |
| City of Lincolnton Lincolnton Above: PFOA | 16,309 |
| North Lenoir Water Corp Kinston Above: PFOA, PFOS | 15,494 |
| Brookwood Community Water System Fayetteville Above: PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, Hazard Index | 15,380 |
| Cliffdale West Water System Fayetteville Above: PFOA, PFOS | 15,220 |
| Deep Run Water Corporation Deep Run Above: PFOA, PFOS | 14,196 |
| Hoke County Regional – Rockfish Raeford Above: PFOA, PFOS | 13,378 |
| Town of Angier Angier Above: PFOA, PFOS | 13,302 |
| Flowers Plantation Clayton Above: PFOA, PFOS | 12,809 |
| City of Archdale Archdale Above: PFOA, PFOS | 12,700 |
| City of Dunn Erwin Above: PFOA, PFOS | 12,497 |
| Town of Aberdeen Aberdeen Above: PFOA, PFOS | 12,473 |
| Town of Spring Lake Spring Lake Above: PFOA, PFOS | 11,725 |
| Town of Elon Elon Above: PFOS | 11,350 |
| Hamlet Water System Hamlet Above: PFOS | 10,635 |
| East Moore Water District Carthage Above: PFOA, PFOS | 9,330 |
| Orange-Alamance Water System Efland Above: PFOA, PFOS | 9,223 |
| Town of Gibsonville Gibsonville Above: PFOS | 8,920 |
| Town of Siler City Siler City Above: PFOS | 8,520 |
| Eastover Sanitary District Eastover Above: PFOA, PFOS | 8,150 |
| Town of Ocean Isle Beach Ocean Isle Beach Above: PFOA, PFOS | 7,925 |
| Central Nash Water & Sewer Nashville Above: PFOA, PFOS | 7,675 |
| Seymour Johnson AFB Goldsboro Above: PFOS | 6,875 |
| Town of Jamestown Jamestown Above: PFOS | 6,543 |
| Town of Ayden Ayden Above: PFOS | 6,366 |
| Town of Holden Beach Holden Beach Above: PFOA, PFOS | 6,299 |
| Town of Selma Selma Above: PFOS | 6,190 |
| Town of Nashville Nashville Above: PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, Hazard Index | 5,900 |
| City of Bessemer City Bessemer City Above: PFOA | 5,730 |
| Newport Water System Newport Above: PFOS | 5,453 |
| Town of Benson Benson Above: PFOA, PFOS | 4,802 |
| City of Randleman Randleman Above: PFOA, PFOS | 4,631 |
| Carolina Trace Water System Sanford Above: PFOA, PFOS | 4,516 |
| Northampton – Lake Gaston Water System Jackson Above: PFOS | 3,984 |
| Fort Bragg Linden Oaks Water System Cameron Above: PFOA, PFOS | 3,733 |
| Town of Grifton Grifton Above: PFOA, PFOS | 2,982 |
| Town of Littleton Littleton Above: PFOS | 1,540 |
| Grassy Pond Water Corporation Cliffside Above: PFOA, PFOS | 1,303 |
| Southgate S/D Water System Clayton Above: PFOA, PFOS | 160 |
The same list, with PFOA and PFOS averages, is in the data download.
Which limits were exceeded
| PFAS | Federal limit | Systems above it |
|---|---|---|
| PFOA 1.4 million people | 4 ppt | 46 |
| PFOS 2.5 million people | 4 ppt | 63 |
| PFHxS 37,995 people | 10 ppt | 3 |
| PFNA | 10 ppt | 0 |
| GenX (HFPO-DA) 67,970 people | 10 ppt | 1 |
| Hazard Index 105,965 people | 1 | 4 |
"–" in the table above means not detected. A system can be above more than one limit. EPA proposed in May 2026 to rescind the PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and Hazard Index limits. That proposal is not final.
Data and how to cite it
- Download every North Carolina water system as CSV (PFOA and PFOS averages, systems above a limit, lead, violations).
- EPA's source file: UCMR 5 occurrence data.
Suggested citation:
Tap Water Results, "North Carolina PFAS results from EPA's final UCMR 5 data" (published Nov 14, 2026, EPA data file of Oct 15, 2026). https://tapwaterresults.com/pfas/north-carolina/
You're welcome to quote and republish these figures with a link back. Questions from reporters: see contact.
Method
For each system we average each entry point's UCMR 5 results (non-detects count as zero, complete sets of samples only) and compare the highest entry-point average with the 2024 federal limit, using EPA's rounding. This is how EPA compares UCMR 5 results to the limits in its own data summary, and our national counts match EPA's published table within 2% (how we check). Results are monitoring data from 2023–2025, not compliance determinations, and treatment installed since then is not reflected. Full method.
Questions
How many North Carolina water systems have PFAS above the limit?
66 of the 285 North Carolina community water systems EPA tested in 2023–2025 (23%) had at least one entry-point average above a 2024 federal PFAS limit. They serve 2.5 million people. Nationally the share is 11%.
Are these systems violating the law?
Not yet. Systems have until 2029 to meet the 2024 limits, and EPA has proposed moving the PFOA and PFOS deadline to 2031 and rescinding the other limits. EPA's UCMR 5 results are monitoring data and do not determine compliance.
Which systems were tested?
EPA's UCMR 5 tested every community water system serving more than 3,300 people and a representative sample of smaller ones. Systems that were not tested have no federal result, which is not the same as having no PFAS.
All North Carolina water systems → · National results → · PFAS results for every state →
Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.