Cabarrus County, North Carolina: drinking water report. Cabarrus County – Concord and Kannapolis – serves about 230,000 residents northeast of Charlotte.
Cabarrus County – Concord and Kannapolis – serves about 230,000 residents northeast of Charlotte. Water comes from the Catawba River system through the Coddle Creek Water Treatment Plant and from the Rocky River, supplemented by interconnections with Charlotte Water.
Cabarrus County's Catawba River connection means it shares the same source water dynamics as Charlotte – including the coal ash legacy from Duke Energy's retired plants along the river. UCMR5 data shows low-level PFAS detections in county systems.
According to NC DEQ's 2024 monitoring data, county systems met all federal standards. The coal ash issue is the primary long-term concern, as heavy metals from ash ponds can leach into groundwater and surface water near former plant sites.
Cabarrus County's water quality is generally good. The coal ash situation upstream is worth tracking as cleanup progresses.
Check your water for data specific to your area. A reverse osmosis system handles both PFAS and heavy metals. Our water filter guide covers options. Pull your detailed report, and visit our North Carolina page for statewide data.
Drinking water is one exposure route. These federal datasets also cover Cabarrus County, NC.
The EPA places Cabarrus County, NC in Zone 3 - the EPA's lowest-risk category, with a predicted average indoor radon level below 2 pCi/L. Zone maps predict an area's radon potential from geology and existing indoor readings; they say nothing about a specific house. Testing is the only way to know your own level.
32% of homes in Cabarrus County, NC were built before 1980, and 11% before 1950. Residential lead paint was banned in 1978, so housing age is the strongest available proxy for lead-paint exposure. This describes the county's housing stock, not any one home.
Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) in Cabarrus County, NC averages 8.3 µg/m³, within the EPA's annual standard of 9 µg/m³. These are CDC modelled county estimates rather than readings from a specific monitor.
How radon zones work · Air quality by county · Lead exposure guide