Is Cary, Town 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
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2023-05-01 → 2023-05-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2023-05-01 → 2023-05-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2023-05-01 → 2023-05-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2023-05-01 → 2023-05-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2023-05-01 → 2023-05-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2023-05-01 → 2023-05-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2023-05-01 → 2023-05-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2023-05-01 → 2023-05-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2006-08-01 → 2006-08-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2006-08-01 → 2006-08-31

PFAS detected

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

Contaminant	Max	Detection rate	Period
Pfba	0.0073 µg/L	4/4	2025
Pfpea	0.0070 µg/L	4/4	2025
Pfhxa	0.0066 µg/L	3/4	2025
PFBS	0.0034 µg/L	2/4	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	65 µg/L 81% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L worst single sample: 77 µg/L	251/251	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromodichloromethane	22.65 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 27 µg/L	248/248	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	29.65 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 42 µg/L	248/248	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromochloromethane	20 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 22 µg/L	246/248	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	25 µg/L 42% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 31 µg/L	236/250	SYR4	2012–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	16 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 20 µg/L	222/248	SYR4	2012–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	7.27 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 13 µg/L	207/248	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromoacetic Acid	4.41 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 6.2 µg/L	179/248	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromoform	5.4 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 6.1 µg/L	173/248	SYR4	2012–2019
Copper	214 µg/L 16% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 546 µg/L	151/179	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromate	13.75 µg/L 138% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L worst single sample: 20 µg/L	66/96	SYR4	2012–2019
Monobromoacetic Acid	3.34 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 3.6 µg/L	49/248	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	0.0 mg/L 0% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	15/15	LCR	2025
Lead	78.74 µg/L 525% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 15 µg/L worst single sample: 213 µg/L	15/179	SYR4	2012–2019
Fluoride	806.5 µg/L 20% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 810 µg/L	8/9	SYR4	2012–2019
Dalapon	1.6 µg/L 0.8% of the EPA limit 200 µg/L	1/9	SYR4	2012–2017
Gross Beta Particle Activity	4.2 pCi/L No EPA limit set	1/1	SYR4	2017

88 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, TotalChlorobenzeneCyanideCadmiumCarbofuranCarbon TetrachlorideChlordaneChromiumCombined Radium (-226 And -228)Combined UraniumDichloromethaneDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDinosebEthylene DibromideEndrinEthylbenzeneHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoMercuryMethoxychlorMonochloroacetic AcidNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitrateNitrate-NitriteNitriteOxamylPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpaPfhpsPFHXSPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPFOAPFOSPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSeleniumSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneThallium, TotalTolueneTotal Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)ToxapheneTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneLithiumO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: REVELS, JAMIE
Phone: 919-469-4303
Email: [email protected]

Frequently asked questions about Cary, Town of

Is Cary, Town of tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 21 contaminants in Cary, Town 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 Cary, Town of's water?

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

How many people does Cary, Town of serve?

Cary, Town of reports serving 227,300 people in North Carolina, per its EPA record.

Has Cary, Town of had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 58 violations on file for Cary, Town of, of which 15 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.