Is Garner, NC tap water safe?
Supplied by Johnston County – West · serves 99,027 people (38,987 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID NC0351070
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Garner gets its water from Johnston County – West. Parts of the city are served by 39 smaller systems: Turner Farms III & IV (757 people), Whittingham Master System (680 people), Kensington Meadows S/D Water System (638 people), Camelot S/D Water System (607 people) and 35 more. Your water bill names your system.
Buys water from Town of Smithfield, City of Raleigh, Harnett Regional Water, Town of Benson, Town of Fuquay-Varina. 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 limitPFOA, PFOS above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOA 5.63 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, PFOS 10.2 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 2024. 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 Johnston County – West'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 (919) 938-5826. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 4 entry points tested Oct 2024 to Sep 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 Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 5.63 ppt 1.41× the limit |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 10.2 ppt 2.55× the limit |
| PFHxS Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 2.8 ppt 28% 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 | 0.28 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 1.93 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 5.88 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 5.6 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 5.5 ppt |
| PFHpA Detected, no limit | 2.02 ppt |
For context: the PFOA average is higher than at 89% of the North Carolina systems EPA tested and the PFOS average is higher than at 91% of the North Carolina systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 8 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 16 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 0 ppb lead (Jul 2024 – Dec 2024). Below action level
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jul 2024 – Dec 2024 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2024 – Jun 2024 | 0 ppb |
| Jul 2023 – Dec 2023 | 0 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2022 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2019 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2016 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2013 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2007 | 11 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Jun 2003 | 0 ppb |
| Jul 2000 – Dec 2000 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2000 – Jun 2000 | 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
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 | 1 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chlorate | 921 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.06 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chromium-6 | 0.16 ppb | – |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.18 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
Where it serves
Garner
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 27501, 27504, 27520, 27524, 27527, 27529, 27576, 27577, 27592, 27603
Nearby utilities
- Bayleaf Master Water System Raleigh · 10 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Raleigh Raleigh · 10 mi
- Flowers Plantation Clayton · 10 mi · PFAS above limit
- Southgate S/D Water System Clayton · 10 mi · PFAS above limit
- Town of Holly Springs Holly Springs · 13 mi · PFAS above limit
- Town of Cary Cary · 13 mi
Questions
Is Garner tap water safe to drink?
Most of Garner gets its water from Johnston County – West. Johnston County – West 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 Garner water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Johnston County – West found 8 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA and PFOS: PFOA 5.63 ppt, PFOS 10.2 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Garner water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Johnston County – West is 0 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2024. 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 NC0351070: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID NC0351070).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Johnston County – West at (919) 938-5826, 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.