Alamance County Water Quality: 4 Cities Ranked by the Records
Alamance County, North Carolina: 4 city reports built from EPA and utility records. A county has many suppliers; each city shows the system that serves it.
Highest result for each contaminant
One row per contaminant: the highest result any system in the county reported, against its limit. Open a row for the systems behind it.
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)Detected in 4 systems4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest17 ng/L
- BURLINGTON, CITY OF17 ng/LSample date: 2024-07-12 to 2025-04-14
- ELON, TOWN OF9 ng/LSample date: 2024-09-09 to 2025-06-09
- GRAHAM, CITY OF7.4 ng/LSample date: 2023-11-13 to 2024-08-12
- MEBANE, CITY OF7.4 ng/LSample date: 2023-11-13 to 2024-08-12
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)Detected in 4 systems4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest13 ng/L
- BURLINGTON, CITY OF13 ng/LSample date: 2024-07-12 to 2025-04-14
- MEBANE, CITY OF7.8 ng/LSample date: 2023-11-13 to 2024-08-12
- GRAHAM, CITY OF7.6 ng/LSample date: 2023-11-13 to 2024-08-12
- ELON, TOWN OF5.3 ng/LSample date: 2024-09-09 to 2025-06-09
Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)Detected in 1 system of 4 tested10 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest3.2 ng/L
- BURLINGTON, CITY OF3.2 ng/LSample date: 2024-07-12 to 2025-04-14
- ELON, TOWN OFNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2024-09-09 to 2025-06-09
- GRAHAM, CITY OFNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-11-13 to 2024-08-12
- MEBANE, CITY OFNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-11-13 to 2024-08-12
Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)Detected in 2 systems of 4 tested2,000 ng/L EPA health advisory (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest10.8 ng/L
- MEBANE, CITY OF10.8 ng/LSample date: 2023-11-13 to 2024-08-12
- GRAHAM, CITY OF10.6 ng/LSample date: 2023-11-13 to 2024-08-12
- BURLINGTON, CITY OFNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2024-07-12 to 2025-04-14
- ELON, TOWN OFNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2024-09-09 to 2025-06-09
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)Detected in 3 systems of 4 tested400,000 ng/L Michigan EGLE state MCL (strictest US state) · Michigan EGLEHighest4.4 ng/L
- BURLINGTON, CITY OF4.4 ng/LSample date: 2024-07-12 to 2025-04-14
- MEBANE, CITY OF3.6 ng/LSample date: 2023-11-13 to 2024-08-12
- GRAHAM, CITY OF3.5 ng/LSample date: 2023-11-13 to 2024-08-12
- ELON, TOWN OFNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2024-09-09 to 2025-06-09
1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (6:2 FTS)Detected in 1 system of 4 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest9.7 ng/L
- BURLINGTON, CITY OF9.7 ng/LSample date: 2024-07-12 to 2025-04-14
- ELON, TOWN OFNot detected · below 5.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2024-09-09 to 2025-06-09
- GRAHAM, CITY OFNot detected · below 5.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-11-13 to 2024-08-12
- MEBANE, CITY OFNot detected · below 5.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-11-13 to 2024-08-12
Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)Detected in 1 system of 4 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest5.8 ng/L
- ELON, TOWN OF5.8 ng/LSample date: 2024-09-09 to 2025-06-09
- BURLINGTON, CITY OFNot detected · below 5.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2024-07-12 to 2025-04-14
- GRAHAM, CITY OFNot detected · below 5.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-11-13 to 2024-08-12
- MEBANE, CITY OFNot detected · below 5.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-11-13 to 2024-08-12
Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)Detected in 1 system of 4 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest4.2 ng/L
- BURLINGTON, CITY OF4.2 ng/LSample date: 2024-07-12 to 2025-04-14
- ELON, TOWN OFNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2024-09-09 to 2025-06-09
- GRAHAM, CITY OFNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-11-13 to 2024-08-12
- MEBANE, CITY OFNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-11-13 to 2024-08-12
1 more contaminant detectedShow
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)Detected in 3 systems of 4 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest4.1 ng/L
- BURLINGTON, CITY OF4.1 ng/LSample date: 2024-07-12 to 2025-04-14
- GRAHAM, CITY OF3.4 ng/LSample date: 2023-11-13 to 2024-08-12
- MEBANE, CITY OF3.4 ng/LSample date: 2023-11-13 to 2024-08-12
- ELON, TOWN OFNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2024-09-09 to 2025-06-09
22 substances tested, none detected in any systemShow
Tested in these 4 systems: BURLINGTON, CITY OF, ELON, TOWN OF, GRAHAM, CITY OF, MEBANE, CITY OF
- 11-Chloroeicosafluoro-3-oxaundecane-1-sulfonic acid (11Cl-PF3OUdS)
- 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecane sulfonic acid (8:2 FTS)
- 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (4:2 FTS)
- 4,8-Dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoic acid (ADONA)
- 9-Chlorohexadecafluoro-3-oxanone-1-sulfonic acid (9Cl-PF3ONS)
- Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) (GenX chemicals)
- Lead (90th percentile)
- Lithium
- N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NEtFOSAA)
- N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NMeFOSAA)
- Nonafluoro-3,6-dioxaheptanoic acid (NFDHA)
- Perfluoro (2-ethoxyethane) sulfonic acid (PFEESA)
- Perfluoro-3-methoxypropanoic acid (PFMPA)
- Perfluoro-4-methoxybutanoic acid (PFMBA)
- Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA)
- Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA)
- Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS)
- Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
- Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS)
- Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA)
- Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA)
- Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA)
Cities ranked by the records
Ranked by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, highest first. Scores belong to water systems; there is no county score. The score is computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record, so this ranks the record, not which city's water is safest. How the score works.
0of 4 cities above the 15 µg/L action level
Based on each system's 90th-percentile result. Lead from household plumbing isn't in this record.
Lead in North CarolinaLargest water systems
- BurlingtonBURLINGTON, CITY OF · NC020101061,365 served
- MebaneMEBANE, CITY OF · NC020101820,212 served
- GrahamGRAHAM, CITY OF · NC020101518,354 served
- ElonELON, TOWN OF · NC020102511,350 served
Frequently asked
How does Alamance County tap water compare across cities?
PurityMap ranks 4 cities in Alamance County by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record. Scores belong to water systems, not to cities. The highest published score is Graham's main water system: GRAHAM, CITY OF · PWSID NC0201015 · Purity Score 59 (Fair) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level. The ranking compares the records, not which city's water is safest, and your own tap can differ with household plumbing.
How many Alamance County cities had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit?
4 of 4 Alamance County city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Burlington (PFOS 17 ng/L), Elon (PFOS 9 ng/L), Mebane (PFOA 7.8 ng/L). 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. PFAS were detected at any level in 4.
Is there lead in Alamance County tap water?
Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 0 of 4 Alamance County cities reported a value above zero, and none was above the 15 µg/L federal action level. Lead usually comes from a building's own pipes and fixtures, so only a test at your tap tells you what you drink.
Have Alamance County water systems had drinking-water violations?
1 city in Alamance County has a health-based violation in the federal SDWIS record within about the last ten years. Each city report lists the contaminant, year and whether it was resolved.
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