PFAS · North Carolina

PFAS in North Carolina drinking water: EPA’s final survey results

EPA’s national PFAS survey (UCMR 5) tested 285 of the community water systems that serve homes in North Carolina. 142 found at least one of 29 PFAS above the laboratory reporting level, and 66 had a PFOA or PFOS sampling-location yearly average at or above EPA’s 4.0 ppt limit. Samples were collected from January 2023 to June 2026.

In focus50%of surveyed systems found PFAS

Public records. Clearer context.

Data as of EPA UCMR 5 final release, August 2026 (file dated Aug 28, 2026) · EPA SDWIS 2026Q2 (file dated Jul 9, 2026). How we build these pages

285

North Carolina community systems in EPA’s survey

serving about 8,915,382 people

142

found at least one PFAS

50% of surveyed systems; about 6,151,804 people served

PFOA or PFOS yearly average at or above the MCL

compared the way EPA does: the average of a complete sampling set

lithium at or above EPA’s health reference level

lithium was part of the same survey

PFOS was the compound North Carolina community systems found most often: 109 of 284 tested systems measured it above the reporting level. Across the country, 35% of surveyed community systems found at least one PFAS; in North Carolina the share is 50%. The largest North Carolina system with a detection, Charlotte Water, serves 1,163,701 people and found 2 of the 29 compounds.

Which PFAS were found most often in North Carolina

Each row counts the North Carolina community water systems where that compound was measured above the reporting level at least once. A detection is a measurement, not a violation: most of these compounds have no federal limit.

Compound	Systems where found	Systems tested	Share
PFOS	109	284	38%
PFPeA	95	284	33%
PFHxA	92	284	32%
PFBS	81	284	29%
PFOA	81	284	29%
PFBA	64	284	23%
PFHxS	58	284	20%
PFHpA	41	284	14%
6:2 FTS	9	284	3%
HFPO-DA (GenX)	7	284	2%
PFPeS	2	284	1%
PFHpS	1	284	0%

North Carolina systems with the most PFAS found

The 10 surveyed community water systems that found the most different PFAS, with PFOA and PFOS compared to EPA’s 4.0 ppt limits on the yearly average at the highest sampling location. Larger systems come first when counts tie.

Water system	People served	PFAS found (of 29)	PFOA	PFOS
Robeson County Water System NC0378055	67,970	10	26.0 ppt at or above the MCL	5.9 ppt at or above the MCL
Greensboro, City of NC0241010	319,588	9	3.7 ppt below the MCL	27.4 ppt at or above the MCL
Fayetteville Public Works Comm NC0326010	226,441	9	8.5 ppt at or above the MCL	16.9 ppt at or above the MCL
Brunswick County Water System NC0410045	151,357	9	5.0 ppt at or above the MCL	9.2 ppt at or above the MCL
Fuquay-Varina, Town of NC0392055	42,954	9	— not compared: the monitoring set is incomplete	— not compared: the monitoring set is incomplete
Oak Island, Town of NC0410020	26,924	9	3.4 ppt below the MCL	5.8 ppt at or above the MCL
Bayleaf Master NC0392373	16,715	9	10.0 ppt at or above the MCL	15.8 ppt at or above the MCL
Ocean Isle Beach, Town of NC0410035	7,925	9	6.3 ppt at or above the MCL	12.1 ppt at or above the MCL
Johnston Co-West NC0351070	99,027	8	5.6 ppt at or above the MCL	10.2 ppt at or above the MCL
Old North Utilities Services/Ft Bragg NC5026019	65,000	8	7.4 ppt at or above the MCL	11.5 ppt at or above the MCL

Counties with the most systems that found PFAS

Johnston County 9 of 9 surveyed systems
Pitt County 8 of 8 surveyed systems
Wake County 7 of 7 surveyed systems
Cumberland County 6 of 6 surveyed systems
Harnett County 5 of 5 surveyed systems
Wayne County 5 of 8 surveyed systems
Guilford County 4 of 5 surveyed systems
Brunswick County 4 of 5 surveyed systems

How to read these numbers

UCMR 5 asked every community and non-transient non-community water system serving 3,300 or more people, and a sample of smaller ones, to test for 29 PFAS and lithium. EPA published the final data in August 2026; its samples were collected from January 2023 to June 2026. A system that was not in the survey has no result here; that is not the same as having no PFAS.

UCMR 5 is a one-time national monitoring survey. Its results do not indicate compliance or non-compliance with the PFAS Maximum Contaminant Levels, which are enforced on running annual averages and take effect in 2029 (EPA has proposed allowing extensions to 2031). A single result above a limit on this page is a measurement, not a violation.

See how to read UCMR 5 results and our methodology for how systems are matched to places.

After North Carolina’s PFAS results

Find your system. Then read its report.

State recordsAll North Carolina water recordsCounties, ZIP reports, lead results and violations for the whole state.FiltersChoosing a PFAS filterHow to check a filter’s certified PFAS reduction before you buy.Your utilityFind your annual water reportYour utility’s Consumer Confidence Report will list its own PFAS results and any treatment plans.

County pages

North Carolina water records

Sources

EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data, samples collected 2023-01-03 – 2026-06-17, final release, August 2026 (file dated Aug 28, 2026); EPA SDWIS via ECHO, 2026Q2 extract (file dated Jul 9, 2026); EPA service-area boundaries v3.0; Census 2020 ZCTAs. Database prepared 2026-09-03.