Is Durham, NC tap water safe?
Supplied by City of Durham · serves 333,490 people (93,952 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID NC0332010
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Durham gets its water from City of Durham. Parts of the city are served by 25 smaller systems: Hardscrabble S/D Water System (643 people), Greymoss S/D Water System (361 people), Willow Hill S/D Water System (329 people), Birchwood MHP (312 people) and 21 more. Your water bill names your system.
Buys water from City of Raleigh, Town of Hillsborough, Chatham County – North, Town of Cary, Orange Water & Sewer Authority. 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 5.2 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
- None health-basedNo health-based violations since 2016.
- 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 Durham's 2026 water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (919) 560-4381.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 2 entry points tested Feb 2023 to Nov 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 | 1.03 ppt 26% of the limit |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 5.2 ppt 1.3× 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) Detected, below limit Limit 1 | 0.0027 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 5.5 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 1.3 ppt |
| PFHxA Not detected Guideline 3,000 ppt | – |
For context: the PFOS average is higher than at 79% of the North Carolina systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 4 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 (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 2014 – Dec 2016 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2013 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Jun 2008 | 0 ppb |
| Jul 2007 – Dec 2007 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2007 | 14 ppb |
| Jan 2007 – Jun 2007 | 0 ppb |
| Jul 2004 – Dec 2004 | 5 ppb |
| Jul 2001 – Dec 2001 | 5 ppb |
Lead service lines: City of Durham publishes a service line inventory where you can look up what your line is made of. It doesn't publish summary counts.
Look up your address · (the utility, collected by us on Nov 14, 2026, not EPA data) · Checking your own line
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
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 | 6.3 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chlorate | 300 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.056 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Vanadium | 0.23 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.048 ppb | – |
Where it serves
Durham
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 27560, 27701, 27702, 27703, 27704, 27705, 27706, 27707, 27708, 27709, 27710, 27711, 27712, 27713, 27715, 27717, 27722
Nearby utilities
- Orange Water & Sewer Authority Carrboro · 11 mi
- South Granville Water&sewer Authority Butner · 14 mi · PFAS above limit
- Town of Cary Cary · 14 mi
- Orange-Alamance Water System Efland · 17 mi · PFAS above limit
- Town of Apex Apex · 18 mi
- Bayleaf Master Water System Raleigh · 18 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Durham tap water safe to drink?
Most of Durham gets its water from City of Durham. City of Durham has no health-based violations since 2016. 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 Durham water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of City of Durham found 4 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOS: PFOS 5.2 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Durham water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for City of Durham 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 NC0332010: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID NC0332010).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- City of Durham's 2026 water quality report: the utility's own annual report, including contaminants EPA's national database doesn't carry (link checked Nov 14, 2026). Phone: (919) 560-4381.
- City of Durham website
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.