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WaterSafety

Safest Drinking Water in North Carolina 2026

North Carolina has 5 public water systems serving 2,833,432 people. The safest system is Charlotte Water in Charlotte with a score of 100/100.

Top 5 Water Systems in North Carolina

#Water SystemCityPop. ServedSourceViolationsScore
1Charlotte WaterCharlotte1,163,701Surface water0A (100)
2Raleigh, City OfRaleigh640,000Surface water0B (80)
3Durham, City OfDurham322,083Surface water0C (78)
4Winston-Salem, City OfPfafftown388,060Surface water0C (76)
5Greensboro, City OfGreensboro319,588Surface water0C (75)

Water quality data for North Carolina is sourced from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), which tracks compliance for all public water systems.

Frequently Asked Questions

Charlotte Water in Charlotte has the highest Water Safety Score in North Carolina at 100/100 (Grade A), serving 1,163,701 people.

North Carolina has 5 public water systems serving 2,833,432 people. The average Water Safety Score is 82/100.

The Water Safety Score (0-100) is based on health violations (40%), contaminant exceedances (30%), enforcement history (20%), and monitoring violations (10%). Higher scores mean cleaner, safer water.

Sources: EPA SDWIS

Water Safety Score: health violations (40%), contaminant exceedances (30%), enforcement history (20%), monitoring violations (10%).