Henderson County, NC Water Quality: PFAS & Lead

Henderson County, North Carolina: drinking water report. Henderson County – Hendersonville – serves about 120,000 residents south of Asheville.

Water Quality in Henderson County, NC

Henderson County – Hendersonville – serves about 120,000 residents south of Asheville. Water comes from Mills River and other Blue Ridge Mountain streams. The county's mountain setting provides naturally clean source water with minimal industrial or agricultural contamination.

What the Data Shows

Henderson County's mountain watersheds produce high-quality source water. UCMR5 data shows no significant PFAS detections. According to NC DEQ's 2024 data, county systems met all federal standards. Like neighboring Buncombe County, flood vulnerability is the primary infrastructure risk.

What Henderson County Residents Should Do

Henderson County's water quality is excellent by any standard. Mountain source water is the county's greatest asset.

Check your water for data in your area. Our water filter guide covers options if desired. Pull your detailed report, and visit our North Carolina page for statewide data.

Beyond water: other exposures in Henderson County, NC

Drinking water is one exposure route. These federal datasets also cover Henderson County, NC.

Radon risk

The EPA places Henderson County, NC in Zone 1 - the EPA's highest-risk category, where the predicted average indoor radon level is above 4 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.

Lead paint risk

36% of homes in Henderson County, NC were built before 1980, and 7% 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.

Air quality

Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) in Henderson County, NC averages 6.6 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