Is Burlington, City of Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

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

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

170

violations on file

still open

Violation	Type	Status	Period
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2021-07-01 → 2021-07-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2021-07-01 → 2021-07-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2021-07-01 → 2021-07-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2021-07-01 → 2021-07-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2021-07-01 → 2021-07-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2021-07-01 → 2021-07-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2021-07-01 → 2021-07-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2013-07-01 → 2013-09-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2013-07-01 → 2013-09-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2013-07-01 → 2013-09-30

PFAS detected

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

Contaminant	Max	Detection rate	Period
PFOS	0.0170 µg/L	8/8	2025
PFOA	0.0130 µg/L	7/8	2025
Pfhxa	0.0044 µg/L	3/8	2025
6:2 Fts	0.0097 µg/L	1/8	2025
Pfhpa	0.0042 µg/L	1/8	2025
PFHXS	0.0032 µg/L	1/8	2025
Pfpea	0.0041 µg/L	1/8	2025

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	70 µg/L 88% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L worst single sample: 98 µg/L	275/275	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	65.35 µg/L 109% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 60 µg/L worst single sample: 84 µg/L	274/274	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	59.279 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 85 µg/L	268/268	SYR4	2012–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	28.7 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 39 µg/L	267/267	SYR4	2012–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	31 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 40 µg/L	266/267	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromodichloromethane	11 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 14 µg/L	257/258	SYR4	2012–2019
Monochloroacetic Acid	8.65 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 14 µg/L	108/269	SYR4	2012–2019
Monobromoacetic Acid	8 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 18 µg/L	95/271	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromochloromethane	3 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 4 µg/L	83/263	SYR4	2012–2019
Copper	97.4 µg/L 7.5% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 483 µg/L	29/145	SYR4	2012–2018
Dibromoacetic Acid	9.4 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 23 µg/L	17/271	SYR4	2012–2019
Fluoride	702.5 µg/L 18% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 710 µg/L	16/16	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	0.0 mg/L 0% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	14/14	LCR	2025
Cyanide	146.005 µg/L 73% of the EPA limit 200 µg/L worst single sample: 154.3 µg/L	4/16	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	29.1 µg/L 194% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 15 µg/L worst single sample: 33 µg/L	4/145	SYR4	2012–2018
Arsenic	6 µg/L 60% of the EPA limit 10 µg/L	1/16	SYR4	2012–2019

86 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 Fts8:2 Fts9Cl-PF3ONSAdonaAntimony, TotalAtrazineBhc-GammaBariumBenzeneBenzo(A)PyreneBeryllium, TotalBromoformChlorobenzeneCadmiumCarbofuranCarbon TetrachlorideChlordaneChromiumCombined Radium (-226 And -228)Combined UraniumDichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDinosebEthylene DibromideEndrinEthylbenzeneGross Alpha, Excl. Radon And UGross Beta Particle ActivityHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoMercuryMethoxychlorNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitrateNitrate-NitriteNitriteOxamylPfbaPFBSPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpsPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSeleniumSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneThallium, TotalTolueneTotal Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)ToxapheneTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneLithiumO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: QUEEN, MICHAEL
Phone: 336-222-5130
Email: [email protected]

Frequently asked questions about Burlington, City of

Is Burlington, City of tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 23 contaminants in Burlington, City of'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 Burlington, City of's water?

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

How many people does Burlington, City of serve?

Burlington, City of reports serving 61,365 people in North Carolina, per its EPA record.

Has Burlington, City of had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 170 violations on file for Burlington, City of, of which 24 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.