Wilmington, NC Water Quality Report

Is Wilmington tap water safe? See PFAS and lead contamination levels for Wilmington, North Carolina. Compare to EPA limits and get filter recommendations.

Quick Answers

Is Wilmington, NC tap water safe to drink? Wilmington, NC tap water meets most federal EPA limits, but PFAS compounds have been detected at an average of 2.7 ppt across 9 compounds. A certified pitcher filter or reverse osmosis system is recommended for sensitive populations.

What contaminants are in Wilmington, NC water? Top PFAS compounds detected in Wilmington water: PFHpA (47 ppt), PFOA (31 ppt), PFBA (0.01 ppt). See the full table for all monitored contaminants and comparison to EPA limits.

What filter should I use in Wilmington, NC? An NSF/ANSI 58 reverse osmosis system is the strongest option, removing 90%+ of PFAS along with lead and arsenic. For renters or smaller households in Wilmington, an NSF-53 certified pitcher (Clearly Filtered, ZeroWater, LifeStraw) is a practical alternative. Ordinary Brita cartridges are not certified for PFAS.

Wilmington, NC Water Quality Summary

EPA testing has detected PFAS "forever chemicals" in Wilmington, NC drinking water. Recent monitoring found a peak level of 47 ppt across 4 water systems, representing an average of 2.7 ppt across 9 detected compounds.

Contamination Level: MODERATE – Moderate contamination – PFAS detected at meaningful levels; filtration recommended.

Top Detected Compounds

  • PFHpA: 47 ppt (exceeds EPA 4 ppt limit for PFOA/PFOS)
  • PFOA: 31 ppt (exceeds EPA 4 ppt limit for PFOA/PFOS)
  • PFBA: 0.01 ppt
  • PFOS: 0.01 ppt
  • PFPeA: 0.01 ppt

Lead in Wilmington, NC Water

EPA Lead and Copper Rule testing has recorded 36 lead samples for Wilmington water systems, with a 90th-percentile high of 0.0103 mg/L (within the EPA 0.015 mg/L action level). There is no safe level of lead for children; if your home was built before 1986, a certified NSF/ANSI 53 lead-removal filter is recommended.

EPA Violations in Wilmington, NC

Wilmington public water systems have 27 health-based EPA Safe Drinking Water Act violations on record, including Nitrate, Haloacetic Acids, Total Trihalomethanes. Health-based violations mean a contaminant exceeded its federal limit or required treatment was not applied.

About the Data

The numbers on this page are drawn from EPA UCMR5 monitoring (2023-2025), which covers 66,000+ public water systems nationwide, including those serving Wilmington, NC's approximately 115,451 residents.

ZIP Codes Served

28401, 28402, 28403, 28404, 28405

What Wilmington, North Carolina Residents Should Do

  1. Enter your exact ZIP code at knowyourexposure.com for address-level data
  2. Install an NSF/ANSI 58 reverse osmosis filter (removes 94-99% of PFAS)
  3. If you're in a high-exposure group (pregnant, young children), consider a PFAS home test kit
  4. Review the Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) your North Carolina utility publishes annually