Is Kinston, NC tap water safe?
The short answer
None of the 6 utilities serving Kinston has 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 Kinston, which serves the most people here, has 2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. The worst: PFOS at 8.5 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 Kinston’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
City of Kinston
North Carolina · serves 27,475 people · about 2,000 in Kinston
2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. The worst: PFOS at 8.5 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Deep Run Water Corporation
North Carolina · serves 14,196 people · about 610 in Kinston
2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. The worst: PFOS at 11.5 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
North Lenoir Water Corp
North Carolina · serves 15,494 people · about 510 in Kinston
2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. The worst: PFOS at 10.1 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Jones County Water System
North Carolina · serves 8,860 people · under 100 in Kinston
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Jackson Heights MHP
North Carolina · serves 107 people · under 100 in Kinston
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Green Acres MHP
North Carolina · serves 229 people · under 100 in Kinston
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 7.0 ppb, above the health goal.
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 Kinston’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 Kinston
The 3 labs North Carolina certifies closest to Kinston, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Eurofins Greenville
Greenville, NC · about 26 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, radioactivity
Craven County Health Dept.-Env Health Lab
New Bern, NC · about 28 miles
Certified for bacteria
Beacham Laboratory- Division of Environmental
Jacksonville, NC · about 33 miles
Certified for bacteria
Which ZIP codes are in Kinston: 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 Kinston
Towns nearby with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read City of Kinston’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