Is Holden Beach, NC tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 2 utilities serving Holden Beach has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and CDC’s records: Brunswick County Water System.
Brunswick County Water System, which serves the most people here, has 2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. The worst: PFOS at 12.4 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 Holden Beach’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Brunswick County Water System
North Carolina · serves 151,357 people · about 460 in Holden Beach
2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. The worst: PFOS at 12.4 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Town of Holden Beach
North Carolina · serves 6,299 people · under 100 in Holden Beach
2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. The worst: PFOS at 10.9 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
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 Brunswick County Water System’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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ZeroWater 10 Cup Pitcher (ZP-010)
Pitcher
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: PFOS, PFOA
Aquasana Claryum Direct Connect (AQ-MF-1)
Under-sink carbon
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
Certified for: PFOS, PFOA
Express Water StreamLine Direct Connect System (USC001)
Under-sink carbon
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
Certified for: PFOS, PFOA
Water testing near Holden Beach
The 3 labs North Carolina certifies closest to Holden Beach, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Brunswick County Health Department
Bolivia, NC · about 6 miles
Certified for bacteria
Alliance Technical Group, LLC - Wilmington
Wilmington, NC · about 22 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, disinfection byproducts
New Hanover County Health Dept.
Wilmington, NC · about 25 miles
Certified for bacteria
ZIP codes in Holden Beach
Which ZIP codes are in Holden Beach: 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 Holden Beach
Other towns in Brunswick County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Brunswick County Water System’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for PFOSRanked by certification and what they cost over five years.The best water filters for PFAS, ranked
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water