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Cliffdale West water quality report, rewritten

Serves
15,220
Connections
6,043
Water source
Groundwater
Based in
Fayetteville, NC
County
Cumberland
Owner
Private
The 2 ZIP codes it serves

28304, 28314

PWSID NC0326332 · EPA data

Read this first

  • PFOS (above the health goal) was found in 25 of 54 samples, highest 19.5 ppt. Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.
  • PFOA (above the health goal) was found in 25 of 54 samples, highest 16.3 ppt. Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.
  • Copper (above the health goal) In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 1.9 ppm, above the 1.3 ppm action level.
  • PFHxS (above the health goal) was found in 36 of 54 samples, highest 12.5 ppt. Above the 10 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.

1 health-based violation since 2016. Details are below.

What handles it

What was found

Highlighted: above the health goal, or EPA’s health benchmark where there is no goal. Circled: above the legal limit in at least one sample, or the action level. Every scale puts that line at its middle.

PFAS and lithium: EPA UCMR 5, samples taken from Feb. 3, 2025 to Sept. 2, 2025. Each blue tick on a scale is one sample where it was found.

Lead and copper: EPA SDWIS monitoring periods ending 1992 to 2013. The pointer marks the latest period; each blue tick is an earlier one.

NSF’s PFAS claims are tested to below 20 ppt. EPA’s limit is 4.0 ppt, and EPA says no certification yet shows a filter reaching its levels.

PFOS (above the health goal)

Comes from the source

19.5 (above the legal limit in at least one sample)ppt

Highest of 54 samples; found in 25

Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.

What handles it

PFOA (above the health goal)

Comes from the source

16.3 (above the legal limit in at least one sample)ppt

Highest of 54 samples; found in 25

Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.

What handles it

Copper (above the health goal)

Comes from pipes, often your own

1.9 (above the action level)ppm

90th percentile, 2011 to 2013

In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 1.9 ppm, above the 1.3 ppm action level.

What handles it

PFHxS (above the health goal)

Comes from the source

12.5 (above the legal limit in at least one sample)ppt

Highest of 54 samples; found in 36

Above the 10 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.

What handles it

PFBS

Comes from the source

10.8ppt

Highest of 54 samples; found in 31

Below EPA’s hazard index benchmark of 2,000 ppt. PFBS has no legal limit or health goal of its own.

What handles it

Also found, with no federal limit

EPA measured these PFAS to learn how often they occur. None has a legal limit or a health goal yet.

CompoundHighest sampleFound inCertification claim
PFHxA10.2 ppt25 of 54None covers it
PFPeA8.7 ppt28 of 54None covers it
PFHpA4.5 ppt9 of 54NSF/ANSI 53: Total PFAS Reduction

Tested and not found

Below EPA’s minimum reporting level in every sample taken from Feb. 3, 2025 to Sept. 2, 2025. Not found means not measured above that level, which is not the same as zero.

All 24 compounds tested and not found
  • 11Cl-PF3OUdS
  • 4:2 FTS
  • 6:2 FTS
  • 8:2 FTS
  • 9Cl-PF3ONS
  • ADONA
  • HFPO-DA (GenX)
  • Lead
  • Lithium
  • NEtFOSAA
  • NFDHA
  • NMeFOSAA
  • PFBA
  • PFDA
  • PFDoA
  • PFEESA
  • PFHpS
  • PFMBA
  • PFMPA
  • PFNA
  • PFPeS
  • PFTA
  • PFTrDA
  • PFUnA

Violations since 2016

Contaminant or ruleTypePeriodMeasuredStatus
ArsenicThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageJuly 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 20220.014 MG/LArchived
Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 3 monitoring or reporting violations not shown.

What handles it

A certification covers specific claims, not a whole standard. Look for these claims on the certifier’s listing, not the box. Wording varies a little: NSF writes “Lead Reduction,” WQA just “Lead.”

  • NSF/ANSI 53

    Claims: PFOS Reduction, PFOA Reduction, Copper Reduction, Total PFAS Reduction

    Other certifiers’ wording: Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS); Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA); Perfluorohexane Sulfonic Acid (PFHxS)

    For: PFOS, PFOA, Copper, PFHxS

  • NSF/ANSI 58

    Claims: Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS), Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), Copper Reduction

    For: PFOS, PFOA, Copper

At the tap, or for the whole house?

Lead and copper usually come from pipes and fixtures inside or near your home. A whole-house system sits where water enters, so it cannot catch what your own plumbing adds after it. For those, the filter that counts is the one at the tap. How whole-house systems compare.

Compare five-year costs

Filters with those claims on a certifier’s listing

TapBuff earns a commission if you buy through some links on this page. It does not change which standard or filter we name. As an Amazon Associate, TapBuff earns from qualifying purchases. How TapBuff makes money

What this report cannot tell you

  • Levels of everything else. Federal bulk data carries results for PFAS, lithium, lead and copper, and violations for the rest. Nitrate, arsenic, disinfection byproducts and other levels are in Cliffdale West’s own annual report, which it must send you every year.
  • Your own plumbing. Lead results are the 90th percentile across homes the utility samples. Your home’s service line, solder and fixtures decide yours. A certified lab test is the only way to know.
  • Anything after the latest data. SDWIS data is from 2026 Q2; UCMR 5 samples are from Feb. 3, 2025 to Sept. 2, 2025.

Other North Carolina utilities

All North Carolina utilities

Sources

What to do next

  • Read up on the 4 marked results

    What each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.

    Start with PFOS

  • Get the utility’s own report

    Cliffdale West must send you a water quality report every year. It lists nitrate, arsenic and byproduct levels this page cannot.

    How to read it

  • Test your own tap for lead

    Your service line, solder and fixtures decide the lead at your faucet, not the utility’s average.

    Lead in your water: what to do

  • Compare certified filters

    What the filters certified for these results cost over five years, cartridges included.

    Compare five-year costs