Is Charlotte Water Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

Water source: Surface water
Ownership: Local government
Counties served: Mecklenburg

Compliance record

Formal violations the EPA has on file for this supplier. A health-based violation means a contaminant limit or a required treatment was breached; the rest are monitoring or reporting failures — still violations, but not a measured health risk.

health-based violations

violations on file

still open

Violation	Type	Status	Period
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2005-06-01 → 2005-06-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2005-06-01 → 2005-06-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2005-06-01 → 2005-06-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2005-06-01 → 2005-06-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2005-06-01 → 2005-06-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2005-06-01 → 2005-06-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2005-06-01 → 2005-06-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2005-06-01 → 2005-06-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2005-06-01 → 2005-06-30
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1993-12-01 → 1993-12-31

PFAS detected

PFAS are industrial “forever chemicals”. These are the EPA's latest nationwide test results (2023–2025).

Contaminant	Max	Detection rate	Period
Pfpea	0.0034 µg/L	4/20	2024
Pfba	0.0097 µg/L	2/20	2024

Other contaminants detected

Each bar shows the measured level as a share of the EPA limit: green is well under, amber is close to it, red is over. For lead and copper the limit applies to exactly the 90th-percentile figure shown, so red there means a real exceedance. For everything else the limit applies to a running annual average while the figure is the 95th percentile of this system's samples — over 100% is worth reading, but is not by itself a violation. Where a single sample came in higher than that percentile, it is noted under the bar. Formal violations are listed separately.

Contaminant	Level vs EPA limit	Detection rate	Source	Period
TTHM	80.875 µg/L 101% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 80 µg/L worst single sample: 116.3 µg/L	406/406	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	23.555 µg/L 39% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 34 µg/L	404/404	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromodichloromethane	22 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 46.1 µg/L	384/384	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	48.525 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 71.3 µg/L	384/384	SYR4	2012–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	15.585 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 21 µg/L	384/384	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromochloromethane	31 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 38.8 µg/L	383/384	SYR4	2012–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	8.3 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 11 µg/L	353/384	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromoacetic Acid	6.2 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 7.5 µg/L	283/384	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromoform	15.175 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 19.1 µg/L	166/384	SYR4	2012–2019
Fluoride	660 µg/L 17% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 690 µg/L	113/114	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	0.0 mg/L 0% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	18/18	LCR	2025
Lead	73 µg/L 487% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 15 µg/L worst single sample: 130 µg/L	16/217	SYR4	2012–2019
Monobromoacetic Acid	5.15 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 6.5 µg/L	6/384	SYR4	2012–2019
Copper	313 µg/L 24% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 330 µg/L	3/217	SYR4	2012–2019
Chlorite	47.215 µg/L 4.7% of the EPA limit 1000 µg/L worst single sample: 47.8 µg/L	2/6	SYR4	2016
Thallium, Total	1 µg/L 50% of the EPA limit 2 µg/L	1/114	SYR4	2012–2019

93 contaminants tested, none detected

1,1,1-Trichloroethane1,1,2-Trichloroethane1,1-Dichloroethylene1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE1,2-Dichloroethane1,2-Dichloropropane11Cl-PF3OUdS2,4,5-TP2,4-D4:2 Fts6:2 Fts8:2 Fts9Cl-PF3ONSAdonaAntimony, TotalArsenicAsbestosAtrazineBhc-GammaBariumBenzeneBenzo(A)PyreneBeryllium, TotalChlorobenzeneCyanideCadmiumCarbofuranCarbon TetrachlorideChlordaneChromiumCombined Radium (-226 And -228)Combined UraniumDichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDinosebEthylene DibromideEndrinEthylbenzeneGross Alpha, Excl. Radon And UGross Beta Particle ActivityHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoMercuryMethoxychlorMonochloroacetic AcidNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitrateNitrate-NitriteNitriteOxamylPFBSPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpaPfhpsPfhxaPFHXSPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPFOAPFOSPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSeleniumSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneTolueneTotal Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)ToxapheneTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneLithiumO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: PINDILLI, ROSIE
Email: [email protected]

Frequently asked questions about Charlotte Water

Is Charlotte Water tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 18 contaminants in Charlotte Water's water. A detection isn't the same as a violation — most levels are within federal limits. See each level and source above, and the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report for its official compliance status.

What contaminants were detected in Charlotte Water's water?

EPA monitoring detected TTHM, Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5), Bromodichloromethane, Chloroform, Dichloroacetic Acid, and others. The full list with the level and data source for each is above.

How many people does Charlotte Water serve?

Charlotte Water reports serving 1,163,701 people in North Carolina, per its EPA record.

Has Charlotte Water had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 40 violations on file for Charlotte Water, of which 16 are health-based (a contaminant limit or required treatment was breached) and 0 remain open. The rest are monitoring or reporting failures.

Where does this data come from?

Every figure is official EPA drinking-water monitoring — the Lead & Copper Rule, the UCMR-5 nationwide testing program, and the EPA Six-Year Review — not our own testing. Each number is labelled with its source and period.