Burlington NC Water Quality Report
Explore Burlington's drinking-water sources, 2025 testing results, PFAS monitoring, lead and copper data, hardness, pH and the city's latest Consumer Confidence Report.
What the Latest Burlington Water Quality Report Covers
Burlington's 2025 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report summarizes municipal water-quality monitoring during calendar year 2025. It covers the city's two surface-water supplies, treatment and disinfection, regulated contaminants, lead and copper, PFAS monitoring, hardness, pH and other system information.
Important distinction: A Consumer Confidence Report summarizes public-system monitoring and compliance. It does not provide a complete water analysis for every individual Burlington home, faucet, service line or private well.
Where Burlington Tap Water Comes From
Burlington uses two surface-water supplies. Lake Mackintosh supplies the J.D. Mackintosh, Jr. Water Treatment Plant, while Stoney Creek Reservoir supplies the Ed Thomas Water Treatment Plant. The city's treatment process includes coagulation, sedimentation, filtration and disinfection before finished water enters the distribution system.
View the 2025 Burlington Water Quality Report
The embedded document below is the City of Burlington 2025 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report, also known as the Consumer Confidence Report, covering water-quality information for 2025.
Highlights From Burlington's Official Water-Quality Data
The city's 2025 report includes regulated and informational water-quality measurements from both treatment plants and the distribution system. The table below highlights selected results; the embedded PDF remains the complete official source with ranges, definitions and footnotes.
| Substance or Measure | Burlington Reported Result | Standard or Context | Report Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barium | <0.4 mg/L at both plants | MCL 2 mg/L | No MCL violation reported |
| Fluoride | 0.73 mg/L at JDMWTP; 0.65 mg/L at ETWTP | MCL 4 mg/L | No MCL violation reported |
| Nitrate | <1.0 mg/L at both plants | MCL 10 mg/L | No MCL violation reported |
| Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) | 51 ppb LRAA shown at site B05; range 27–62 ppb | MCL 80 ppb | No MCL violation reported |
| Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) | 48 ppb LRAA shown at site B05; range 16–46 ppb | MCL 60 ppb | No MCL violation reported |
| Lead | 90th percentile <3 ppb | Action level 15 ppb | 1 site above the action level |
| Copper | 90th percentile 0.125 mg/L | Action level 1.3 mg/L | 0 sites above the action level |
| Hardness | 28.5 mg/L (1.67 gpg) at JDMWTP; 27.4 mg/L (1.60 gpg) at ETWTP | Informational, not a federal health limit | Low reported hardness |
| pH | 8.0 at both plants | System-average operational information | Reported for household context |
This summary is not a substitute for the official report. Read the complete PDF for sampling dates, measured ranges, definitions, footnotes and regulatory context.
PFAS Results Reported in Burlington's 2025 Monitoring
Burlington's report includes UCMR5 results from samples collected in July 2024, October 2024, January 2025 and April 2025, plus three additional 2025 monitoring rounds for the PFAS compounds targeted by EPA. The report notes that UCMR5 occurrence results do not by themselves determine compliance with the PFAS MCLs.
| PFAS Compound | J.D. Mackintosh WTP 2025 Average | Ed Thomas WTP 2025 Average | Range Reported in 2025 Additional Monitoring |
|---|---|---|---|
| PFOA | 3.3 ppt | 5.1 ppt | 2.2–4.2 ppt JDMWTP; 2.4–8.6 ppt ETWTP |
| PFOS | 4.3 ppt | 4.2 ppt | 2.6–6.2 ppt JDMWTP; 2.0–6.4 ppt ETWTP |
| PFHxS | 1.1 ppt | 0.6 ppt | 0.0–1.8 ppt JDMWTP; 0.0–1.9 ppt ETWTP |
| PFNA | 0.1 ppt | 0.0 ppt | 0.0–0.39 ppt JDMWTP; 0.0–0.0 ppt ETWTP |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) | 0.0 ppt | 0.0 ppt | 0.0–0.0 ppt at both plants |
How to read these numbers: The city's report compares PFOA and PFOS with 4.0 ppt MCL values and states that public-water-system compliance with the PFAS MCLs begins in April 2029. The report also lists a Hazard Index of 0.12 at JDMWTP and 0.06 at ETWTP for the covered PFAS mixture. These municipal monitoring results do not tell you the concentration at an individual household faucet.
What Else Stands Out in Burlington's 2025 Report?
Coliform Samples
Burlington reports 837 total-coliform samples collected during 2025, with all of them testing negative for Total Coliform.
Turbidity Target Met
Both treatment plants reported 100% as the lowest monthly percentage of turbidity samples meeting the required limit, with no treatment-technique violation reported.
Source Assessments
The source-water assessment listed Lake Mackintosh with a Higher susceptibility rating and Stoney Creek Reservoir with a Moderate rating. The city notes that susceptibility does not mean poor water quality.
December 2025 monitoring violation
Burlington reports that 67 of 70 required Total Coliform and Disinfection Residual samples were collected in December 2025. Missing three required samples resulted in a monitoring violation. The report says the NC Division of Water Resources recommended collecting three additional samples in January 2026 to address the issue and ensure compliance.
What the Burlington Water Quality Report Does—and Does Not—Tell You
The Consumer Confidence Report explains Burlington's municipal water sources, treatment, monitoring and reported regulatory results. It is useful city-wide information, but it is not a complete diagnosis of water at an individual property.
What the Report Tells You
- Where Burlington's municipal drinking water comes from.
- How the public water supply is treated and disinfected.
- Which regulated and selected unregulated substances were reported.
- How reported values compare with standards and action levels listed in the report.
- City-wide information about lead, copper, PFAS, hardness, pH and other water-quality measures.
What It May Not Tell You About Your Home
- Conditions caused by an individual service line, plumbing or fixtures.
- How water tastes, smells or feels at a specific Burlington property.
- Whether a household wants additional treatment for chlorine, chloramine or specific drinking-water goals.
- How water from a private well differs from Burlington's municipal supply.
- Which treatment system best fits a specific household concern.
Explore Local Water Treatment Options
Continue with the Burlington page that best matches your household concern or treatment goal.
Water Problems
Review Burlington contaminant data, household concerns and treatment options.
Explore water problems →Reverse Osmosis
Learn about highly filtered drinking and cooking water at a dedicated faucet.
Explore reverse osmosis →Whole-Home Conditioners
Explore whole-home treatment for hardness, chlorine or chloramine concerns and conditioning goals.
Explore whole-home conditioning →PFAS Water Filters
Compare whole-home PFAS filtration and reverse-osmosis drinking-water treatment.
Explore PFAS filtration →Well Water Treatment
Explore treatment for iron, sulfur odor, acidity and other private-well conditions.
Explore well-water treatment →Free Water Test
Schedule an in-home evaluation for common household water concerns.
Schedule a free water test →Burlington NC Water Quality Report FAQs
What year does Burlington's latest Water Quality Report cover?
The City of Burlington's 2025 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report summarizes drinking-water information and monitoring from calendar year 2025.
Where does Burlington drinking water come from?
Burlington uses two surface-water supplies. Lake Mackintosh supplies the J.D. Mackintosh, Jr. Water Treatment Plant, and Stoney Creek Reservoir supplies the Ed Thomas Water Treatment Plant.
Does Burlington use chlorine or chloramine?
The 2025 report lists both chlorine and chloramine disinfectant residuals. It reports a chlorine running annual average of 1.51 ppm and a chloramine running annual average of 2.31 ppm, with no disinfectant-residual violation reported in that table.
Were PFAS detected in Burlington water?
Yes. Burlington's 2025 report lists detections of several PFAS compounds in UCMR5 and additional monitoring. The report includes plant-specific averages and ranges for PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, PFNA and other PFAS.
Is Burlington water hard?
The report lists hardness of 28.5 mg/L, or 1.67 grains per gallon, at the J.D. Mackintosh plant and 27.4 mg/L, or 1.60 grains per gallon, at the Ed Thomas plant.
Did Burlington report a water-quality violation in 2025?
The report identifies a monitoring violation for December 2025 because 67 of 70 required Total Coliform and Disinfection Residual samples were collected. It separately reports that all 837 Total Coliform samples collected during 2025 tested negative.
Does the city report test the water inside my house?
The report includes public-system monitoring and some compliance sampling at customer homes, such as lead and copper sampling, but it does not provide a complete water analysis for every individual property.
How can I test water at my Burlington home?
East Coast Water Quality offers an in-home water evaluation for common household water concerns. Specialized laboratory testing may be required for contaminants or questions that cannot be evaluated through an in-home screening.
Have Questions About Water at Your Burlington Home?
Schedule a free in-home water evaluation to discuss hardness, taste, odor and the treatment goals that matter at your property.
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