PFAS above EPA’s limits in North Carolina.

66 utilities serving 2.5 million people, as they report it, had a location averaging above a limit, most often PFOS (63) and PFOA (46). The largest is City of Durham, whose highest PFOS average was 5.2 ppt, 1.3 times the limit. The furthest above is Town of Nashville, at 86 times the PFOS limit.

These are EPA’s survey results, not violations: the limits take effect April 26, 2029, and compliance will rest on each utility’s own monitoring. EPA has proposed changes to the rule; as of Oct. 13, 2026, none is final.