Copper in North Carolina well water

In North Carolina, <1% of 65,754 private wells tested between 1998 and 2019 had copper above the North Carolina groundwater standard (1 mg/L), according to the NC State Laboratory of Public Health (NCWELL).

Copper leaches from pipes when water is acidic. Above 1.3 mg/L it causes stomach upset, and long-term exposure can harm the liver and kidneys. Blue-green stains on fixtures are the giveaway.

Check your copper number

Type the value from your lab report. It is compared to the North Carolina groundwater standard and the EPA limit, the same way the full interpretation does it.

Test your North Carolina well for copper

Certified lab analysis of your own tap water, bottles and prepaid return shipping included. The Essential well panel covers arsenic, uranium, nitrate, lead, copper, manganese, iron, sodium and bacteria; radon and PFAS are add-ons.

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Systems that remove copper

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For copper

Under-sink reverse osmosis system

under-sink or countertop, about $300

Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.

For copper

Acid neutralizing filter

whole-house, at the point of entry, about $1,200

Raises pH so plumbing stops leaching lead and copper.

Rather have it installed and sized for your well? Book a free in-home water test with a licensed local company.

Where to get a well tested for copper in North Carolina: certified labs, state programs and prices.

By county, from homeowner tests

Share of private wells above the state guidance level (1 mg/L) in tests homeowners sent to the state lab, 1998 to 2019.

County	Above state level	Wells tested	Highest
New Hanover	3%	1,018	8.96 mg/L
Greene	2%	42	5.7 mg/L
Edgecombe	2%	135	1.72 mg/L
Alleghany	2%	219	4.35 mg/L
Polk	2%	285	2.2 mg/L
Macon	2%	1,847	277 mg/L
Henderson	2%	955	11 mg/L
Caswell	2%	448	13.4 mg/L
Martin	1%	70	1.51 mg/L
Durham	1%	500	5.12 mg/L
Wake	1%	681	14.1 mg/L
Warren	1%	152	2.53 mg/L
Anson	1%	77	1.31 mg/L
Graham	1%	237	5.11 mg/L
Watauga	1%	662	11.9 mg/L

By county, from individual samples

Public monitoring samples against the EPA limit (1.3 mg/L); counties with at least 30 samples.

County	Above EPA limit	Samples	Detected	Median	Highest
Mecklenburg	<1%	997	34%	0	8.76 mg/L
Guilford	0%	33	85%	0.009	0.52 mg/L
Craven	0%	65	75%	0.008	0.12 mg/L
Orange	0%	33	61%	0.001	0.024 mg/L
Iredell	0%	34	56%	0	0.001 mg/L
Beaufort	0%	30	30%	0	0.02 mg/L
Onslow	0%	34	26%	0	0.01 mg/L

Township 1, Charlotte, Mecklenburg County<1% of 870
Township 6, Craven County0% of 48
Township 15, Huntersville, Mecklenburg County0% of 127

Sources

NCWELL private well summaries: County summaries of private well tests run by the NC State Laboratory of Public Health, 1998 to 2019, compiled by the UNC Superfund Research Program (NCWELL database). Counts are tests, not distinct wells; since 2008 every new well is tested once, so most tests are unique wells. Shares are against the NC 2L groundwater standard where one exists (manganese 50 ug/L, lead 15, iron 300) and otherwise the EPA limit. Medians are not used because more than half of results sit at the reporting limit for most analytes. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
Individual samples from the USGS Water Quality Portal and state monitoring, summarized per geography. copper counts and shares are listed on each county and town page with their sources.