Iredell County, NC Water Quality: PFAS & Lead

Iredell County, North Carolina: drinking water report. Iredell County – Statesville and Mooresville – serves about 190,000 residents north of Charlotte.

Water Quality in Iredell County, NC

Iredell County – Statesville and Mooresville – serves about 190,000 residents north of Charlotte. Water comes from the Catawba River system through Lake Norman, the largest man-made body of freshwater in North Carolina. Mooresville's position on Lake Norman's southern shore has driven rapid growth.

What the Data Shows

Lake Norman's size provides a stable, abundant water source. UCMR5 data shows minimal PFAS detections. According to NC DEQ monitoring, Lake Norman water quality is generally good, though residential development around the lake's shoreline has increased nutrient loading in some coves.

Duke Energy's McGuire Nuclear Station sits on Lake Norman and uses lake water for cooling. The nuclear station operates under strict NRC monitoring requirements, and no contamination of the drinking water supply from nuclear operations has been documented.

What Iredell County Residents Should Do

Iredell County's Lake Norman water supply is ample and clean. The county is in a strong position on water quality.

Check your water for data in your area. A carbon filter handles chlorine taste. Our water filter guide covers options. Pull your detailed report, and visit our North Carolina page for statewide data.

Beyond water: other exposures in Iredell County, NC

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

Radon risk

The EPA places Iredell County, NC in Zone 2 - a moderate-risk category, with a predicted average indoor radon level between 2 and 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

28% of homes in Iredell 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 Iredell County, NC averages 8.2 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