Wilmington, NC Water Quality (ZIP 28401)

Quick Answers

Is ZIP 28401 tap water safe to drink? PFAS compounds have been detected in 28401's water at an average of 2.77 ppt across 9 compounds. A certified pitcher filter or reverse osmosis system is recommended, especially for sensitive populations.

What filter should I use in 28401? Match the filter to the data: reverse osmosis handles PFAS, lead, and arsenic together; NSF-53 pitchers cover the taps you drink from. A basic Brita pitcher will not remove PFAS.

ZIP 28401 Water Quality Summary

EPA testing has detected PFAS "forever chemicals" in the water systems serving ZIP 28401 (Wilmington, NC). Monitoring found a peak of 47 ppt across 3 systems, averaging 2.77 ppt over 9 detected compounds.

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

Top Detected Compounds in ZIP 28401

• PFHPA: 47 ppt (exceeds the EPA 10 ppt limit)
• PFOA: 31 ppt (exceeds the EPA 4 ppt limit)
• PFBA: 0.01 ppt
• PFOS: 0.01 ppt
• PFPEA: 0.01 ppt

Lead in ZIP 28401 Water

EPA Lead and Copper Rule testing recorded 15 lead samples for the systems serving 28401, with a 90th-percentile high of 0.0038 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.

EPA Violations Affecting ZIP 28401

The water systems serving 28401 have 20 health-based EPA Safe Drinking Water Act violations on record, including 5000, Nitrate, Haloacetic Acids, Total Trihalomethanes. A health-based violation means a contaminant exceeded its federal limit or required treatment was not applied.

About the Data

These figures come from EPA UCMR5 (2023-2025) plus Lead and Copper Rule and SDWIS records for the public water system serving ZIP 28401. UCMR5 is the most comprehensive national drinking water survey in US history.

Beyond water: other exposures in Wilmington, NC

Drinking water is one exposure route. These are the other federal datasets that cover ZIP 28401 and New Hanover County, NC.

Radon risk in New Hanover County, NC

The EPA places New Hanover 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 New Hanover County, NC

Census figures show 31% of homes in New Hanover County, NC were built before 1980, and 10% 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 New Hanover County, NC

Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) for New Hanover County, NC averages 6.6 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.

Superfund sites near 28401

There are 2 EPA Superfund (National Priorities List) sites within about five miles of 28401: Horton Iron and Metal (about 0.6 miles); Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp - Navassa (about 2.7 miles). Distances are measured from the ZIP code's geographic centre, so the distance from a specific address will differ. Proximity to a listed site is a fact about location - it is not itself evidence of exposure.

Industrial releases near 28401

EPA Toxics Release Inventory data for 2023 records 5 reporting facilities within about five miles of 28401, together reporting roughly 1,850,392 pounds of on-site chemical releases that year. TRI covers facilities above federal reporting thresholds, so smaller sources are not included, and a reported release is not the same as a measured concentration in air or water.