Is Beaufort, NC tap water safe?
The short answer
3 of the 5 utilities serving Beaufort have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and CDC’s records: Town of Beaufort, North River/Mill Creek Water Service Dis and Down East MHP.
Town of Beaufort, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 22.6 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
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 Beaufort’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Town of Beaufort
North Carolina · serves 4,452 people · about 180 in Beaufort
1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 22.6 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
North River/Mill Creek Water Service Dis
North Carolina · serves 4,417 people · under 100 in Beaufort
1 result above the action level and 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Copper at 1.5 ppm, above the action level.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Seagate IV
North Carolina · serves 105 people · under 100 in Beaufort
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Eastman Creek Landing S/D
North Carolina · serves 335 people · lists Beaufort among the places it serves
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Down East MHP
North Carolina · serves 107 people · lists Beaufort among the places it serves
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
1 health-based violation since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in Town of Beaufort’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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Brita Tahoe Pitcher with Elite Filter (OB60, OB06)
Pitcher
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 13, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 53checked Oct. 13, 2026
Certified for: Lead
Brita Everyday Pitcher with Elite Filter (OB46, OB06)
Pitcher
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 13, 2026
Certified for: Lead
PUR PLUS 11-Cup Pitcher (PPT111W)
Pitcher
- NSF listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Lead
Water testing near Beaufort
The 3 labs North Carolina certifies closest to Beaufort, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Carteret County Environmental Health
Morehead City, NC · about 16 miles
Certified for bacteria
Craven County Health Dept.-Env Health Lab
New Bern, NC · about 35 miles
Certified for bacteria
Beacham Laboratory- Division of Environmental
Jacksonville, NC · about 55 miles
Certified for bacteria
ZIP codes in Beaufort
Which ZIP codes are in Beaufort: 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 Beaufort
Other towns in Carteret County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Town of Beaufort’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- About LithiumWhat it does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.About Lithium
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water