Short answer: In the 2023–2026 records we hold for Spring Lake, two PFAS, PFOA and PFOS, each had a sample above a 2024 EPA limit (not a violation: the limits are judged on a yearly average, due 2029), and a health-based violation is on record (EPA SDWIS). 8 substances were detected and 23 were tested and not detected. The water is from Town of Spring Lake, serving 11,725 residents.
Plumbing inside the building is outside this record.
At a glance
Spring Lake water in four numbers
51/100 · PoorConfidence: moderatePurity ScoreSPRING LAKE, TOWN OF · PWSID NC0326020
9Detected3 above a reference
3Above a referenceof 32 records
1Health-based violationslast 10 years · EPA SDWIS
Two PFAS, PFOA and PFOS, each had a sample above a 2024 EPA limit (not a violation: the limits are judged on a yearly average, due 2029); a past health-based violation (E. coli) is on record.
What we found
9 detected results, by distance from their limit
Each bar runs to the named reference; the tick marks it. Open a row for five layers: measured, compared, meaning, where it matters, what to do.
PFOSPerfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)Above EPA's 2024 limit (one sample) · Federal MCL4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024)15.6ng/L▾
① · Measured
15.6 ng/L, sampled 2025-06-16 to 2026-02-25. EPA UCMR 5.
② · Compared
4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024): a legal limit. That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it, so a single sample is not a violation. EPA health goal (MCLG): 0.
③ · Meaning
One EPA sample measured 15.6 ng/L, above the 4 ng/L limit EPA set in 2024. That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it, so a single sample is not a violation.
④ · Where it matters
Comes with the source water; home plumbing does not add it.
⑤ · What to do
Test your own tap first. To reduce it: Reverse osmosis, or carbon certified for PFAS (NSF/ANSI 53 or 58 (PFOA/PFOS)).
PFOAPerfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)Above EPA's 2024 limit (one sample) · Federal MCL4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024)9.4ng/L▾
① · Measured
9.4 ng/L, sampled 2025-06-16 to 2026-02-25. EPA UCMR 5.
② · Compared
4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024): a legal limit. That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it, so a single sample is not a violation. EPA health goal (MCLG): 0.
③ · Meaning
One EPA sample measured 9.4 ng/L, above the 4 ng/L limit EPA set in 2024. That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it, so a single sample is not a violation.
④ · Where it matters
Comes with the source water; home plumbing does not add it.
⑤ · What to do
Test your own tap first. To reduce it: Reverse osmosis, or carbon certified for PFAS (NSF/ANSI 53 or 58 (PFOA/PFOS)).
PFHxSPerfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)Within reference · Federal MCL10 ng/L federal MCL (2024)8.3ng/L▾
① · Measured
8.3 ng/L, sampled 2025-06-16 to 2026-02-25. EPA UCMR 5.
② · Compared
10 ng/L federal MCL (2024): a legal limit. That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it.
③ · Meaning
Detected at up to 8.3 ng/L (below the 10 ng/L limit EPA set in 2024). That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it.
④ · Where it matters
Comes with the source water; home plumbing does not add it.
⑤ · What to do
Test your own tap first. To reduce it: Reverse osmosis, or carbon certified for PFAS (NSF/ANSI 53 or 58, with PFHxS named on the listing).
SPRING LAKE, TOWN OF (EPA PWSID NC0326020) delivers surface water to 11,725 residents. This report reflects 29 individual PFAS result(s) from the source UCMR5 observations and the latest Lead & Copper Rule 90th-percentile result. Water hardness and disinfectant type are pending the utility's own annual report.
Track record
1health-based violation in the last 10 years
From EPA SDWIS. Counted once per contaminant per year, as in the Track record score.
Not in this recordDisinfection by-products weren't monitored in this dataset
No result is not a pass. Your utility's annual water quality report may list them, and a certified lab test covers your own tap.
Health-based violations, last 10 years
Every filing is listed; the Track record score counts at most one per contaminant per year.
The record describes water leaving treatment and samples across the system. Pipes, solder and fixtures inside a building can add lead the record can’t see, especially in older buildings with lead service lines.
Affiliate linksPurityMap earns a commission from these links. "Best choice" and "Budget pick" go to certified products first; commission never decides them. As an Amazon Associate, PurityMap earns from qualifying purchases. Affiliate disclosure
★ Best choice: Aquasana Claryum 2-Stage Under-Sink Filter (AQ-5200), certified for PFOA, PFOS and lead.
Reverse osmosisiSpring RCC7AK Alkaline Reverse Osmosis SystemiSpring · It treats only the water from its own faucet and sends part of the water to the drain; the NSF listing for the plain RCC7AK covers dissolved solids, not lead or PFAS.Use code REFISPRING at checkout: 10% off your first iSpring order.
Reverse osmosisiSpring RO5004F Tankless Reverse Osmosis System with UViSpring · Its PFAS and lead reduction claims are iSpring's own, with no third-party certification named for this model, and it treats only the water at its own faucet.Use code REFISPRING at checkout: 10% off your first iSpring order.
Reverse osmosisWaterdrop X12 Reverse Osmosis SystemWaterdrop · Its IAPMO NSF/ANSI 58 certification covers TDS reduction only, so its PFAS and lead claims rest on Waterdrop's own SGS lab testing.
Whole-houseiSpring WGB32B-PFKS PFAS & Heavy Metals Whole House FilteriSpring · It does not reduce total dissolved solids or soften hard water, and its PFAS result comes from SGS lab testing rather than an NSF/ANSI certification.Use code REFISPRING at checkout: 10% off your first iSpring order.
PurityMap earns a commission from these links. "Best choice" and "Budget pick" go to certified products first; commission never decides them. As an Amazon Associate, PurityMap earns from qualifying purchases. Affiliate disclosure.
Lead service lines
Ask your utility first
Town of Spring Lake reported 2 galvanized service lines to replace in EPA’s inventory (2026Q2). Many utilities replace these lines for free or share the cost. Ask Town of Spring Lake whether your home’s line is on its list before you pay anyone.
Your path: I live in an older buildingLead from plumbing is the main question
Older buildings may have lead service lines, solder or fixtures. Spring Lake’s utility reported 2 galvanized service lines in EPA’s inventory. Test first-draw water, then filter if needed.
8 of 29 PFAS tested were detected in Spring Lake’s record (PFOS 15.6 ng/L, PFOA 9.4 ng/L and PFHxS 8.3 ng/L, and more); 2 above their limit. If PFAS matters to you, a filter certification names each compound it covers.
Look forNSF/ANSI 53 or 58, with each compound you care about named on the listing
Your path: My water tastes of chlorineThe disinfectant is not in this record
Most utilities keep chlorine or chloramine in the pipes. A carbon filter certified for taste and odor reduces either; your utility can tell you which it uses.
PurityMap does not give a safe/unsafe verdict; it shows what the public records measured. For Spring Lake, PFOS 15.6 ng/L and PFOA 9.4 ng/L were measured in one EPA sample each, above the 4 ng/L limit EPA set in 2024 (not a violation: the limits are judged on a yearly average, due 2029); one health-based violation is on record (E. coli). SPRING LAKE, TOWN OF (PWSID NC0326020) has a Purity Score of 51/100 (confidence: moderate), assessed at the water-system level and computed only from contaminants that were measured. Water can change in your own pipes, so a certified test is the only way to know what comes out of your tap. What we found →
Who provides tap water in Spring Lake?+
SPRING LAKE, TOWN OF (PWS ID NC0326020) is the public water system on record for Spring Lake, North Carolina, serving about 11,725 people. Confirm the utility on your water bill before acting on a specific finding. Water utility →
Where does Spring Lake get its drinking water?+
Surface water (primary source of record in EPA SDWIS). Water utility →
Are PFAS "forever chemicals" in Spring Lake's water?+
Yes. In EPA's UCMR 5 testing (2025-06-16 to 2026-02-25), PFOS was measured at 15.6 ng/L in one EPA sample, above the 4 ng/L limit EPA set in 2024 and PFOA was measured at 9.4 ng/L in one EPA sample, above the 4 ng/L limit EPA set in 2024. EPA's 2024 limits are judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet them, so a single sample is not a violation. PFBS (6.4 ng/L, below the 2,000 ng/L EPA health advisory), PFHxA (12.1 ng/L, below the 400,000 ng/L state limit) and PFHxS (8.3 ng/L, below the 10 ng/L federal limit) were also detected. PFBA (7.9 ng/L), PFHpA (5.5 ng/L) and PFPeA (14.9 ng/L) were also detected; they have no federal or state limit. Reverse osmosis and filters certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for PFOA/PFOS reduce them at the tap. What we found →
Is there lead in Spring Lake's tap water?+
Lead is not in Spring Lake's current published record. Lead usually enters from a building's own pipes and fixtures, so a certified home test is the way to know yours. Your household →
Has Spring Lake's water system had violations?+
The federal SDWIS record lists a health-based violation for SPRING LAKE, TOWN OF within about the last ten years: E. coli (2026). The findings above show each one's status. At a glance →
What does the latest Spring Lake water report show?+
PurityMap's current record for Spring Lake holds 32 findings: 3 above a reference, 3 detected within the reference, 3 detected with no limit and 23 not detected. Each finding links to its dated public record; a parameter that was never monitored is shown as pending, not as a pass. Records →
EPA SDWIS, EPA UCMR 5 and utility reports, each dated and linked.
02Normalize
Units converted to one basis; a non-detect kept distinct from zero.
03Classify
Each result tagged by reference type: MCL, action level, screening level or aesthetic.
04Compare to the named reference
Every value sits against its own reference, never a blended one.
05Score
Measured subjects summarised at the water-system level; an open health-based violation caps the score.
06Match treatment
Treatment is matched to what was found; a product is called certified only when its current certification names it.
What the Purity Score means: a summary of this water system’s published record, capped while a health-based violation is open. It is not a test of any tap. SPRING LAKE, TOWN OF · PWSID NC0326020 · Purity Score 51/100 (Poor) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
Lead at Town of Spring Lake: not detected (90th percentile, 2023–2025 monitoring period). Lead has no taste, so a taste neither shows nor rules it out.
ZIP codes in Spring Lake
A ZIP code is a postal area, not a water service area. Your water bill names your supplier.