Is Raleigh, City of Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

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

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
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2016-04-01 → 2016-06-30
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2016-04-01 → 2016-06-30
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2016-04-01 → 2016-06-30
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2016-04-01 → 2016-06-30
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2016-04-01 → 2016-06-30
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2014-12-01 → 2015-02-28
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2014-12-01 → 2015-02-28
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2014-12-01 → 2015-02-28
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2014-12-01 → 2015-02-28
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2014-12-01 → 2015-02-28

PFAS detected

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

Contaminant	Max	Detection rate	Period
PFBS	0.0033 µg/L	4/8	2024
Pfba	0.0090 µg/L	3/8	2024
Pfhxa	0.0042 µg/L	2/8	2024
PFOS	0.0056 µg/L	2/8	2024
Pfpea	0.0043 µg/L	2/8	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	53.31 µg/L 67% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L worst single sample: 79.9 µg/L	403/403	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	36.871 µg/L 61% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 53.3 µg/L	390/390	SYR4	2012–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	23.33 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 33.7 µg/L	348/348	SYR4	2012–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	11.78 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 24 µg/L	343/348	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromodichloromethane	11 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 83.1 µg/L	325/325	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	41.6 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 64.7 µg/L	325/325	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromochloromethane	4 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 16.1 µg/L	304/318	SYR4	2012–2019
Copper	90.6 µg/L 7% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 240 µg/L	120/198	SYR4	2013–2019
Monochloroacetic Acid	3.36 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 4.6 µg/L	89/348	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromoacetic Acid	1.4 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 7.4 µg/L	53/348	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	0.0 mg/L 0% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	18/18	LCR	2025
Fluoride	780 µg/L 20% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L	16/16	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	54.45 µg/L 363% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 15 µg/L worst single sample: 72 µg/L	14/198	SYR4	2013–2019
Monobromoacetic Acid	1.504 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 1.53 µg/L	5/348	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromate	2 µg/L 20% of the EPA limit 10 µg/L	1/138	SYR4	2012–2019
Combined Radium (-226 And -228)	1 pCi/L 20% of the EPA limit 5 pCi/L	1/2	SYR4	2017
Thallium, Total	1 µg/L 50% of the EPA limit 2 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 Fts6:2 Fts8:2 Fts9Cl-PF3ONSAdonaAntimony, TotalArsenicAtrazineBhc-GammaBariumBenzeneBenzo(A)PyreneBeryllium, TotalBromoformChlorobenzeneCyanideCadmiumCarbofuranCarbon TetrachlorideChlordaneChromiumCombined UraniumDichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDinosebEthylene DibromideEndrinEthylbenzeneGross Alpha, Excl. Radon And UGross Beta Particle ActivityHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoMercuryMethoxychlorNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitrateOxamylPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpaPfhpsPFHXSPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPFOAPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSeleniumSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneTolueneTotal Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)ToxapheneTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneLithiumO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: WHEELER, WHIT
Phone: 919-996-4582
Email: [email protected]

Frequently asked questions about Raleigh, City of

Is Raleigh, City of tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 22 contaminants in Raleigh, 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 Raleigh, City of's water?

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

How many people does Raleigh, City of serve?

Raleigh, City of reports serving 650,000 people in North Carolina, per its EPA record.

Has Raleigh, City of had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 22 violations on file for Raleigh, City of, of which 0 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.