Union County Water System water quality
Monroe, NC · serves 169,685 people (66,805 connections) · Surface water · Local government · EPA ID NC0190413
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Buys water from Lancaster County Water & Sewer District, City of Monroe, Charlotte Water, Anson County Water System, Catawba River Wsp Water System. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Detected, below limit5 of 29 PFAS found at least once. All averages below the federal limits.
- 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 Mar 2020. One required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Mar 2020. What to do if you get a notice.
- 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.
- Got a boil-water or do-not-drink notice? What each notice means and what to do.
- Want to reduce what was found? Filters for these results.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read Union County Water System'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 (980) 398-6851. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 2 entry points tested Jan 2023 to Oct 2023. "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 One sample above limit Limit 4 ppt | 1.05 ppt 26% of the limit |
| PFOS One sample above limit Limit 4 ppt | 2.25 ppt 56% of the limit |
| PFHxS Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| 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) Not detected Limit 1 | – |
| PFBS Not detected Guideline 2,000 ppt | – |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 1.63 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 6.2 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 7.05 ppt |
29 PFAS tested, 5 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 8 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 0 ppb lead (Jul 2025 – Dec 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 6.4 ppb (Dec 2016).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jul 2025 – Dec 2025 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2025 – Jun 2025 | 0 ppb |
| Jul 2024 – Dec 2024 | 0 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2024 – Jun 2024 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2022 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2019 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2016 | 6.4 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2013 | 4.5 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 8.8 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2007 | 0 ppb |
| Jul 2004 – Dec 2004 | 0 ppb |
| Jul 2001 – Dec 2001 | 5 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 |
|---|---|
| Mar 2020 | E. coli was confirmed in the water. E. coli means the water may have been contaminated with sewage or animal waste. Urgent public notice required What that means EPA record: Revised Total Coliform Rule · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, E. coli (RTCR) Resolved |
| Jul 2017 | 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 0.066 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 | 9.4 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chlorate | 526 ppb | 210 ppb |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.27 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
| Vanadium | 1.3 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.11 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chromium-6 | 0.2 ppb | – |
Where it serves
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 28079, 28103, 28104, 28108, 28110, 28111, 28112, 28173, 28174
Nearby utilities
- Charlotte Water Charlotte · 21 mi
- Town of Harrisburg Harrisburg · 22 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Concord Concord · 27 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Kannapolis Kannapolis · 33 mi
- Two Rivers Utilities Gastonia · 39 mi
- Town of Mooresville Mooresville · 43 mi
Questions
Is Union County Water System water safe to drink?
Union County Water System had 2 health-based violations since 2016, all since resolved. EPA testing found no PFAS above the federal limits. 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 Union County Water System water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Union County Water System found 5 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in Union County Water System water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Union County Water System 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 NC0190413: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID NC0190413).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Union County Water System at (980) 398-6851, 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.