What's in the Water in Durham, NC?
Monitoring data for Durham, North Carolina shows 2 distinct contaminants detected in the public water supply — Chlorine, Total Coliform (TCR). None exceeded the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level in the reported samples.
Contaminants Detected in Durham
| Contaminant | Detected | EPA Limit (MCL) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlorine | 2 ppm | 4 ppm | Within limit |
| Total Coliform (TCR) | 2.5 % positive | 5 % positive | Within limit |
Detected levels are the highest reported across Durham systems for each contaminant. MCL = EPA Maximum Contaminant Level, the legal safety ceiling. Source: EPA SDWIS monitoring data.
Safety & Violations
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Average Safety Score | 78/100 (C worst) |
| Public Water Systems | 1 |
| Population Served | 322,083 |
| Health Violations | 0 |
| Monitoring Violations | 2 |
| Contaminant Exceedances | 0 |
| Enforcement Actions | 13 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Monitoring data for Durham, North Carolina shows 2 distinct contaminants detected in the public water supply — Chlorine, Total Coliform (TCR). None exceeded the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level in the reported samples.
The 1 public water system serving Durham, North Carolina (population 322,083) average a Water Safety Score of 78/100, with a worst grade of C. These systems have no health-based violations on record.
Durham, North Carolina is served by 1 public water system, together supplying water to roughly 322,083 people. The worst safety grade among them is C.
No. In the reported monitoring data for Durham, no detected contaminant exceeded its EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL).
The Water Safety Score (0-100, graded A-F) weighs health-based violations (40%), contaminant exceedances (30%), enforcement history (20%), and monitoring violations (10%), using EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) data from the last 10 years.
Request your utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR), consider an independent test from a state-certified lab, and use an NSF-certified filter targeting any contaminant of concern. For lead specifically, run cold water 30 seconds before drinking.
More about Durham
Monitoring data for Durham, North Carolina shows 2 distinct contaminants detected in the public water supply — Chlorine, Total Coliform (TCR). None exceeded the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level in the reported samples.
This answer pulls from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), the authoritative federal source for U.S. public drinking-water safety. The headline number above is the direct answer; what follows is the additional context most readers need to use the answer for a real decision rather than just a fact lookup.
For readers turning this answer into action: cross-reference against the underlying the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) record before acting on time-sensitive decisions. The site renders the data as it was published; subsequent revisions can shift the picture, and the live federal data is always the authoritative current reference.
Source: EPA Ground Water and Drinking Water, 2026.