Spring Lake, NC Water Quality (ZIP 28390)

Quick Answers

Is ZIP 28390 tap water safe to drink? PFAS compounds have been detected in 28390's water at an average of 1.58 ppt across 8 compounds. A certified pitcher filter or reverse osmosis system is recommended, especially for sensitive populations.

What filter should I use in 28390? A reverse osmosis system (NSF/ANSI 58) removes 90%+ of PFAS, lead, and arsenic. For smaller households, an NSF-53 certified pitcher (Clearly Filtered, ZeroWater) works. Standard Brita cartridges are not certified for PFAS.

ZIP 28390 Water Quality Summary

EPA testing has detected PFAS "forever chemicals" in the water systems serving ZIP 28390 (Spring Lake, NC). Monitoring found a peak of 40 ppt across 2 systems, averaging 1.58 ppt over 8 detected compounds.

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

Top Detected Compounds in ZIP 28390

• PFHPA: 40 ppt (exceeds the EPA 10 ppt limit)
• PFOA: 20 ppt (exceeds the EPA 4 ppt limit)
• PFOS: 0.02 ppt
• PFPEA: 0.01 ppt
• PFHXS: 0.01 ppt

Lead in ZIP 28390 Water

EPA Lead and Copper Rule testing recorded 10 lead samples for the systems serving 28390, with a 90th-percentile high of 0.0085 mg/L (within the EPA 0.015 mg/L action level). There is no safe level of lead for children; homes built before 1986 should use a certified NSF/ANSI 53 lead filter.

About the Data

Source: EPA UCMR5 monitoring (2023-2025), Lead and Copper Rule samples, and SDWIS violation records tied to the water system that serves 28390 in Spring Lake, NC.

Beyond water: other exposures in Spring Lake, NC

Drinking water is one exposure route. These are the other federal datasets that cover ZIP 28390 and Harnett County, NC.

Radon risk in Harnett County, NC

The EPA places Harnett 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 the radon potential of an area from geology and existing indoor readings - they do not describe any individual home. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among people who have never smoked, and the only way to know your own level is a test kit.

Lead paint risk in Harnett County, NC

Census figures show 29% of homes in Harnett County, NC were built before 1980, and 7% before 1950. Lead-based paint was banned for residential use in 1978, so older housing stock is the strongest available proxy for lead-paint exposure. This is a statistic about the county's housing, not a test of any particular property - if your home predates 1980, a lead swab test is the way to check.

Air quality in Harnett County, NC

Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) for Harnett County, NC averages 7.7 µg/m³, within the EPA's annual PM2.5 standard of 9 µg/m³. PM2.5 is the pollution fraction small enough to reach deep into the lungs. These are CDC modelled estimates for the county as a whole, not a reading taken at this ZIP code.