Is Pender County Utilities Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

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

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

156

violations on file

still open

Violation	Type	Status	Period
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2026-01-01 → 2026-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2026-01-01 → 2026-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2026-01-01 → 2026-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2026-01-01 → 2026-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2025-10-01 → 2025-12-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2025-10-01 → 2025-12-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2025-10-01 → 2025-12-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2025-10-01 → 2025-12-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2025-07-01 → 2025-09-30
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2025-07-01 → 2025-09-30

PFAS detected

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

Contaminant	Max	Detection rate	Period
Pfhxa	0.0048 µg/L	3/10	2024
Pfpea	0.0076 µg/L	3/10	2024
Pfba	0.0050 µg/L	1/10	2024
PFBS	0.0053 µg/L	1/10	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
Copper	788.2 µg/L 61% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 2108 µg/L	378/514	SYR4	2012–2018
TTHM	88.2 µg/L 110% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 80 µg/L worst single sample: 98 µg/L	115/115	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	29.85 µg/L 50% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 40 µg/L	104/114	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromodichloromethane	24 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 27.75 µg/L	100/100	SYR4	2013–2019
Chloroform	30.324 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 69 µg/L	97/100	SYR4	2013–2019
Dibromochloromethane	34.11 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 39.87 µg/L	96/100	SYR4	2013–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	15.4 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 24 µg/L	89/100	SYR4	2013–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	12.65 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 16 µg/L	88/100	SYR4	2013–2019
Dibromoacetic Acid	5.95 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 10 µg/L	82/100	SYR4	2013–2019
Bromoform	18.3625 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 26.4 µg/L	80/100	SYR4	2013–2019
Lead	35.398 µg/L 236% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 15 µg/L worst single sample: 328.3 µg/L	57/514	SYR4	2012–2018
Monobromoacetic Acid	4.3 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 5 µg/L	28/100	SYR4	2013–2019
Lead	0.0 mg/L 0% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	24/24	LCR	2026
Monochloroacetic Acid	7.2 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 8 µg/L	9/100	SYR4	2013–2019
Fluoride	386 µg/L 9.7% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 400 µg/L	5/8	SYR4	2012–2019
Combined Radium (-226 And -228)	0.1000 pCi/L 2% of the EPA limit 5 pCi/L	4/9	SYR4	2012–2017
Nitrate	1584 µg/L 16% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L	4/16	SYR4	2012–2019
Nitrate-Nitrite	1565.25 µg/L 16% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 1584 µg/L	2/8	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, TotalChlorobenzeneCyanideCadmiumCarbofuranCarbon TetrachlorideChlordaneChromiumCombined UraniumDichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDinosebEthylene DibromideEndrinEthylbenzeneGross Alpha, Excl. Radon And UHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoMercuryMethoxychlorNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitriteOxamylPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpaPfhpsPFHXSPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPFOAPFOSPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSeleniumSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneThallium, TotalTolueneTotal Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)ToxapheneTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneLithiumO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: PROCTOR, JAMES
Phone: 910-259-1521
Email: [email protected]

Frequently asked questions about Pender County Utilities

Is Pender County Utilities tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 22 contaminants in Pender County Utilities'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 Pender County Utilities's water?

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

How many people does Pender County Utilities serve?

Pender County Utilities reports serving 32,302 people in North Carolina, per its EPA record.

Has Pender County Utilities had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 156 violations on file for Pender County Utilities, of which 86 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.