Is Washington, NC tap water safe?
The short answer
2 of the 4 utilities serving Washington have 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 Washington and Stokes Regional Water Corp.
Beaufort Co Northside Regional Water, 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 Washington’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Beaufort Co Northside Regional Water
North Carolina · serves 22,405 people · about 560 in Washington
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
City of Washington
North Carolina · serves 13,000 people · about 490 in Washington
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Stokes Regional Water Corp
North Carolina · serves 3,530 people · under 100 in Washington
1 result above the legal limit and 2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. The worst: Haloacetic acids (HAA5) at 48.3 ppb, above the legal limit.
2 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Beaufort Co Southside
North Carolina · serves 9,369 people · under 100 in Washington
1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 34 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
No health-based violations since 2016
Water testing near Washington
The 3 labs North Carolina certifies closest to Washington, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Eurofins Greenville
Greenville, NC · about 14 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 31 miles
Certified for bacteria
JLA International, Inc.
Edenton, NC · about 47 miles
Certified for bacteria
Which ZIP codes are in Washington: 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 Washington
Other towns in Beaufort County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Beaufort Co Northside Regional Water’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