Lead in North Carolina well water
In North Carolina, 3% of 110,409 private wells tested between 1998 and 2019 had lead above the North Carolina groundwater standard (15 ug/L), according to the NC State Laboratory of Public Health (NCWELL).
Lead in well water almost always comes from household plumbing and older fixtures, not the aquifer, and corrosive (low pH) well water makes it worse. There is no safe level for children; it harms brain development.
Check your lead 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.
Getting it fixed
Book a free in-home water test with a licensed local company, or see the treatment guide for what removes lead.
By county, from homeowner tests
Share of private wells above the state guidance level (15 ug/L) in tests homeowners sent to the state lab, 1998 to 2019.
| County | Wells tested | Above state level | Highest | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoke | 306 | 13% | 191 ug/L | |
| Montgomery | 576 | 8% | 329 ug/L | |
| Richmond | 523 | 7% | 1,500 ug/L | |
| Alleghany | 347 | 7% | 707 ug/L | |
| Cumberland | 1,970 | 7% | 725 ug/L | |
| Moore | 1,289 | 7% | 205 ug/L | |
| Madison | 1,190 | 6% | 701 ug/L | |
| Scotland | 266 | 6% | 761 ug/L | |
| Macon | 2,424 | 5% | 2,540 ug/L | |
| Anson | 131 | 5% | 260 ug/L | |
| Wayne | 548 | 5% | 130 ug/L | |
| Harnett | 367 | 5% | 146 ug/L | |
| Henderson | 1,497 | 5% | 355 ug/L | |
| Avery | 640 | 5% | 147 ug/L | |
| Greene | 64 | 5% | 69 ug/L |
By county, from individual samples
Public monitoring samples against the EPA limit (15 ug/L); counties with at least 30 samples.
| County | Samples | Detected | Above EPA limit | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mecklenburg | 56 | 71% | 5% | 0 | 400 ug/L |
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. lead counts and shares are listed on each county and town page with their sources.