Skip to content
TapBuff
ZIP

Is Durham, NC tap water safe?

15 utilities serve Durham, by EPA’s records. Here is what EPA’s and CDC’s records show for each, against the legal limits and the stricter health goals.

Matched to your utility using EPA records.

The short answer

1 of the 15 utilities serving Durham has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and CDC’s records: Greymoss S/D.

City of Durham, which serves the most people here, has 2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. The worst: PFOS at 5.8 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.

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 Durham’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.

5 more utilities in Durham

By EPA’s estimate, each serves fewer people in Durham than those above.

  • Lake Ridge Parkserves 125 people · under 100 in Durham · no health-based violations since 2016
  • Masonwoods S/Dserves 97 people · under 100 in Durham · no health-based violations since 2016
  • Brentwood S/Dserves 69 people · under 100 in Durham · no health-based violations since 2016
  • Stonegate MHP S/Dserves 96 people · under 100 in Durham · no health-based violations since 2016
  • Keeneland Manor S/Dserves 51 people · under 100 in Durham · no health-based violations since 2016

What handles it

Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in City of Durham’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.

Disclosure: 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

Every claim, and more filters, in the full report

Water testing near Durham

A utility tests the water it sends out. A test of your own tap shows what your pipes add, and on a private well it is the only test there is. It takes a lab North Carolina certifies.

The 3 labs North Carolina certifies closest to Durham, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.

  • Durham County Health Department

    Durham, NC · under a mile

    Certified for bacteria

    (919) 560-7975

  • RTI International

    Research Triangle Park, NC · about 6 miles

    Certified for lead and copper, metals

    (919) 485-5520

  • Onterris Laboratories, LLC - Durham

    Durham, NC · about 7 miles

    Certified for bacteria

    (804) 358-8295

All 112 certified labs for North Carolina

ZIP codes in Durham

Which ZIP codes are in Durham: 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 Durham

Towns nearby with a page of their own.

What to do next