Is Beech Mountain, NC tap water safe?
The short answer
2 of the 5 utilities serving Beech Mountain 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 Beech Mountain and Lees - McRae - South Campus.
Town of Banner Elk, 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 Beech Mountain’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Town of Banner Elk
North Carolina · serves 1,164 people · about 120 in Beech Mountain
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Town of Beech Mountain
North Carolina · serves 2,468 people · under 100 in Beech Mountain
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 5.0 ppb, above the health goal.
4 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Town of Seven Devils
North Carolina · serves 400 people · under 100 in Beech Mountain
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 2.0 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Lees - McRae - South Campus
North Carolina · serves 99 people · under 100 in Beech Mountain
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Sugar Mountain Utility
North Carolina · serves 3,226 people · under 100 in Beech Mountain
1 result above the limit’s level with no violation recorded. The worst: Arsenic at 14.3 ppb, above the limit’s level, no violation.
No health-based violations since 2016
Water testing near Beech Mountain
The 3 labs North Carolina certifies closest to Beech Mountain, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Water Quality Lab & Operations
Banner Elk, NC · under a mile
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Aqua Tech Service and Consulting
Boone, NC · about 11 miles
Certified for bacteria
Toe River Health District - Avery County
Newland, NC · about 12 miles
Certified for bacteria
ZIP codes in Beech Mountain
Which ZIP codes are in Beech Mountain: 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 Beech Mountain
Other towns in Avery County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Town of Banner Elk’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