Is Cary, NC tap water safe?
Supplied by Town of Cary · serves 227,300 people (63,261 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID NC0392020
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Cary gets its water from Town of Cary. Parts of the city are served by 9 smaller systems: Medfield Estates S/D Water System (772 people), Mobile Estates Water System (690 people), Swift Creek Master System (465 people), Sedgemoor S/D Water System (435 people) and 5 more. Your water bill names your system.
Buys water from City of Durham, Town of Apex, Town of Holly Springs, City of Raleigh. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Detected, below limit4 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
- Resolved1 health-based violation since 2016, most recently May 2023. One required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently May 2023. 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.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read Town of Cary's 2025 water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (919) 469-4303.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 1 entry point tested Feb 2025 to Nov 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 Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| 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 | 0.0008 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 1.6 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 6.35 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 4.15 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 5.77 ppt |
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 4 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 (8)
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2016 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2013 | 3.17 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 3.55 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2007 | 0 ppb |
| Jul 2003 – Dec 2003 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Jun 2003 | 20 ppb |
| Jan 2000 – Jun 2000 | 3 ppb |
| Jul 1992 – Dec 1992 | 8 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 |
|---|---|
| May 2023 | 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 |
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 | 23.3 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chlorate | 130 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.05 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 0.068 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.77 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
| Vanadium | 0.3 ppb | 21 ppb |
Where it serves
Cary
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 27511, 27513, 27518, 27519, 27523, 27560, 27607, 27695, 27709
Nearby utilities
- Town of Apex Apex · 5 mi
- Town of Holly Springs Holly Springs · 9 mi · PFAS above limit
- Bayleaf Master Water System Raleigh · 10 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Raleigh Raleigh · 10 mi
- Johnston County – West Garner · 13 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Durham Durham · 14 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Cary tap water safe to drink?
Most of Cary gets its water from Town of Cary. Town of Cary had 1 health-based violation 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 Cary water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Town of Cary found 4 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in Cary water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Town of Cary 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 NC0392020: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID NC0392020).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- Town of Cary's 2025 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) 469-4303.
- Town of Cary 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.