Is Concord, NC tap water safe?
Supplied by City of Concord · serves 120,771 people (47,548 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID NC0113010
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Concord gets its water from City of Concord. Parts of the city are served by 21 smaller systems: Shiloh Church Road S/D Water System (3,102 people), Whitehurst MHP (688 people), Zemosa Acres Water System (650 people), Harbor Towne Water System (536 people) and 17 more. Your water bill names your system.
Buys water from Town of Mount Pleasant, Charlotte Water, City of Kannapolis, City of Albemarle. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
Summary
PFAS above the 2024 federal limits. Systems have until 2029 to meet the PFAS limits.
Is it an emergency? No: PFAS limits are about years of exposure, not a glass of water, and nothing in EPA's data calls for you to stop drinking the water today. If your utility ever issues a boil-water or do-not-drink notice, follow it.
- PFAS
- Above limitPFOS above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOS 8.3 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Below action level0 ppb (parts per billion) at the 90th percentile: 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below it. Action level 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in Nov 2027. Monitoring period ending Dec 2025. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved2 health-based violations since 2016, most recently Apr 2017.
- Pregnant, or mixing baby formula with tap water? Babies drink more water for their size, so PFAS exposure matters more for them. Consider bottled water or a filter certified for PFAS for formula, and ask your doctor. Health effects.
- To lower your PFAS exposure now, a home filter certified for PFAS reduction works (reverse osmosis, or activated carbon certified to NSF/ANSI 53 or 58). Filters for these results.
- Built before 1986, or not sure what your service line is made of? Check your service line and test your tap. Utility data can't show your pipes.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read City of Concord's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report). It lists every regulated contaminant tested and is usually on the utility's website or mailed with your bill, and you can also request it at (704) 920-5336. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 3 entry points tested Oct 2024 to Jul 2025. "Average" is the highest entry-point average (non-detects counted as zero), the way EPA compares UCMR 5 results to the limits. ppt = parts per trillion. These results do not determine compliance.
| Contaminant | Highest average |
|---|---|
| PFOA Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 8.3 ppt 2.08× the limit |
| PFHxS Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 4.22 ppt 42% of the limit |
| PFNA Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Detected, below limit Limit 1 | 0.42 |
| PFBS Not detected Guideline 2,000 ppt | – |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Not detected Guideline 3,000 ppt | – |
What the utility says it is doing: WBTV reported in August 2026 that Concord completed an $18 million granular activated carbon system at the Hillgrove Water Treatment Plant after a three-year project. The city's water resources director said preliminary data were positive and monthly testing continues.
Source: Concord completes $18M filtration system to help clear 'forever chemicals' from drinking water (news report), 2026-08-21. Collected by us on Nov 14, 2026, not from EPA's data. Ask the utility for the latest.
For context: the PFOS average is higher than at 87% of the North Carolina systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 2 detected at least once. "Not detected" means below EPA's reporting limit (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical), not proven zero. PFAS not listed were not detected. The limits for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and the Hazard Index were proposed for rescission in May 2026. That proposal is not final. Systems have until 2029 to meet the limits.
Lithium
Not detected in 12 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 0 ppb lead (Jan 2023 – Dec 2025). Below action level
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2025 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2022 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2019 | 0 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2016 – Jun 2016 | 0 ppb |
| Jul 2015 – Dec 2015 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2013 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2007 | 0 ppb |
| Jul 2004 – Dec 2004 | 0 ppb |
| Jul 2001 – Dec 2001 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 1993 – Jun 1993 | 7 ppb |
| Jul 1992 – Dec 1992 | 6 ppb |
Lead comes from pipes and fixtures, not the source water, so it varies home to home. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 sampled homes were at or below it. More on lead.
Violations
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Jan 2016 – Apr 2017 2 times | The running annual average for Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) was above the legal limit. EPA record: Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · measured 0.062 mg/l (limit 0.060 mg/L) Resolved |
Health-based violations mean a contaminant exceeded a limit or a required treatment step was missed. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or reports were late or missing, so the water's quality during that time is unknown. The total includes every violation in EPA's records, most of them paperwork.
Earlier EPA testing (2013–2020)
| Contaminant | Highest | Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Manganese | 22.3 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Vanadium | 0.87 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.43 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 0.14 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chlorate | 306 ppb | 210 ppb |
Where it serves
Concord
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 28025, 28026, 28027, 28082, 28124
Nearby utilities
- City of Kannapolis Kannapolis · 6 mi
- Town of Harrisburg Harrisburg · 6 mi · PFAS above limit
- Charlotte Water Charlotte · 17 mi
- Town of Mooresville Mooresville · 17 mi
- Lincoln County Water Treatment Plant Denver · 25 mi · PFAS above limit
- Union County Water System Monroe · 27 mi
Questions
Is Concord tap water safe to drink?
Most of Concord gets its water from City of Concord. City of Concord had 2 health-based violations since 2016, all since resolved. EPA testing found PFAS above the 2024 federal limits, which systems must meet by 2029. Federal data can't tell you about your own pipes: lead comes from service lines and plumbing, so test your tap if your home was built before 1986. For the official word, read the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Does Concord water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of City of Concord found 2 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOS: PFOS 8.3 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Concord water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for City of Concord is 0 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2025. The federal action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in November 2027. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below this number. Individual homes can be higher.
Check these numbers yourself
Every figure on this page comes from public EPA records. You don't have to take our word for it:
- EPA's own report for NC0113010: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID NC0113010).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask City of Concord at (704) 920-5336, or see EPA's guide to finding it.
Found something that doesn't match? Tell us and we'll check it against EPA's records. How we check our data.
Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.