Buncombe County Water Quality: 2 Cities Ranked by the Records
Buncombe County, North Carolina: 2 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.
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)Detected in 1 system60 ppb federal MCL · US EPAHighest52 ppb
- ASHEVILLE CITY OF52 ppbReporting year: 2025
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)Detected in 1 system80 ppb federal MCL · US EPAHighest68 ppb
- ASHEVILLE CITY OF68 ppbReporting year: 2025
Water hardnessDetected in 1 systemAesthetic, no federal health limit · USGSHighest0.3 gpg
- ASHEVILLE CITY OF0.3 gpgReporting year: 2025
31 substances tested, none detected in any systemShow
Tested in this system: ASHEVILLE 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)
- 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (6:2 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)
Also tested in: BLACK MOUNTAIN, TOWN OF
- 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)
- Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)
- Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)
- Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA)
- Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA)
- Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS)
- Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)
- Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)
- Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)
- Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
- Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)
- Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)
- Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS)
- Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)
- 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 2 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 Carolina1city reports hardness · Asheville, 0.3 gpg
None above 7 gpg, the USGS threshold for hard water. An aesthetic measure with no federal health limit.
Hard water explainedLargest water systems
- AshevilleASHEVILLE CITY OF · NC0111010157,431 served
- Black MountainBLACK MOUNTAIN, TOWN OF · NC011102011,976 served
Frequently asked
How does Buncombe County tap water compare across cities?
PurityMap ranks 2 cities in Buncombe 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 Black Mountain's main water system: BLACK MOUNTAIN, TOWN OF · PWSID NC0111020 · Purity Score 95 (Excellent) · Confidence: low · 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 Buncombe County cities had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit?
None of the 2 Buncombe County city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing. PFAS were detected below the limit in 0.
Is there lead in Buncombe County tap water?
Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 0 of 2 Buncombe 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.
Does Buncombe County have hard water?
Hardness is published in utility water-quality reports for 1 Buncombe County city on record; the hardest is Asheville at 0.3 grains per gallon. Hardness affects scale and appliances; it is not a health finding.
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