Is Asheville, NC tap water safe?
The short answer
6 of the 9 utilities serving Asheville have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and CDC’s records: City of Asheville, Woodfin Sanitary Water and Sewer, Town of Biltmore Forest and 3 more.
City of Asheville, which serves the most people here, has nothing above a health goal in EPA’s and CDC’s records. That data covers what its report lists, not everything.
A town can be served by more than one utility, and some homes are on private wells. The name on your water bill tells you which is yours, and your ZIP code narrows it down. They are listed by how many people each serves in Asheville’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
City of Asheville
North Carolina · serves 157,431 people · about 45,200 in Asheville
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Woodfin Sanitary Water and Sewer
North Carolina · serves 10,122 people · about 2,400 in Asheville
1 result above the legal limit. The worst: Haloacetic acids (HAA5) at 42.1 ppb, above the legal limit.
2 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Town of Biltmore Forest
North Carolina · serves 1,356 people · about 350 in Asheville
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Wedgefield Acres MHP
North Carolina · serves 100 people · under 100 in Asheville
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Under the Blue Ridge
North Carolina · serves 50 people · under 100 in Asheville
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Jewel Acres Water Service
North Carolina · serves 90 people · under 100 in Asheville
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Johnson - Siler MHP
North Carolina · serves 150 people · lists Asheville among the places it serves
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Hazelwood Homeowners Assoc
North Carolina · serves 100 people · lists Asheville among the places it serves
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Rolling Oaks Estates
North Carolina · serves 75 people · lists Asheville among the places it serves
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
1 health-based violation since 2016
Water testing near Asheville
The 3 labs North Carolina certifies closest to Asheville, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Environmental Testing Solutions, Inc.
Asheville, NC · about 1 mile
Certified for bacteria, nitrate
Buncombe County Health Dept.
Asheville, NC · about 1 mile
Certified for bacteria
Pace Analytical Services- Asheville NC
Asheville, NC · about 4 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, minerals and other inorganics
Which ZIP codes are in Asheville: Census 2020 relationship files. Which utilities serve them, and how many people: EPA SDWIS and EPA’s service area map. Each utility’s results: EPA UCMR 5, EPA SDWIS, and EPA’s and the state’s compliance monitoring, as its report lists them. How they are measured: methodology. Certified labs: North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health, certified drinking water laboratories; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer.
Near Asheville
Other towns in Buncombe County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read City of Asheville’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Decide if you want a filter at allA filter for taste or chlorine is a preference, not a need. The standards say what each kind can do.NSF/ANSI standards, decoded
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water