Durham NC Water Quality Report
Explore Durham's drinking-water sources, 2025 testing results, PFAS monitoring, lead and copper data, treatment process, and the City's latest Annual Drinking Water Quality Report.
What the Latest Durham Water Quality Report Covers
The City of Durham's 2025 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report, released in 2026, summarizes drinking-water monitoring from 2025. It covers the public system's source water, treatment, regulated contaminants, lead and copper, disinfection byproducts, PFAS monitoring and other water-quality characteristics.
City conclusion: Durham Water reports 100% compliance with all drinking-water quality standards for 2025 and no violations covering January 1 through December 31, 2025.
Where Durham Tap Water Comes From
Durham's main raw-water sources are Lake Michie and Little River Reservoir. Water is treated at the Williams and Brown water treatment plants using coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration and disinfection before it enters the municipal distribution system. The 2025 report also notes that Durham purchased water from the Town of Cary during the year.
View the 2025 Durham Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
The embedded document below is the City of Durham's 2025 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report for Water System ID 03-32-010. It reports 2025 monitoring data and was released in 2026.
Highlights From Durham's Official Water-Quality Data
Durham reports 100% compliance for the 2025 report year. The table below highlights selected results from the City's report; the embedded PDF remains the complete source for measured ranges, definitions, footnotes and compliance conclusions.
| Substance or Measure | Durham Reported Result | Standard or Context | Report Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | 90th percentile: Non-detect | Action Level: 15 ppb | 0 sites above Action Level |
| Copper | 90th percentile: 0.105 ppm | Action Level: 1.3 ppm | 0 sites above Action Level |
| Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) | Highest LRAA: 56 ppb | MCL: 80 ppb | No MCL violation |
| Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) | Highest LRAA: 49 ppb | MCL: 60 ppb | No MCL violation |
| Fluoride | 0.70 ppm | MCL: 4 ppm | No MCL violation |
| Nitrate as Nitrogen | <1.0 ppm | MCL: 10 ppm | No MCL violation |
| E. coli | 0 positive/present samples | MCLG: 0 | No MCL violation |
| Turbidity | Highest single measurement: 0.10 NTU | TT violation if >1 NTU | 100% compliance reported |
A city-wide report summarizes public-system monitoring. It does not provide a complete water analysis for every individual home or faucet.
PFAS Results Reported in Durham's 2025 Monitoring
Durham's 2025 report includes four PFAS compounds in its Unregulated Contaminants table. The values below are reported in parts per trillion (ppt) from four sampling dates during 2025.
| PFAS Compound | 2025 Average | Reported Range | Sampling Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| PFOA | 3.8 ppt | 2.8–5.7 ppt | 4 samples in 2025 |
| PFOS | 5.6 ppt | 4.6–7.2 ppt | 4 samples in 2025 |
| PFBS | 5.9 ppt | 3.1–7.7 ppt | 4 samples in 2025 |
| PFBA | 2.2 ppt | 2.0–3.5 ppt | 4 samples in 2025 |
Important: These are public-system monitoring results, not measurements from a specific Durham home. PFAS testing at an individual property requires appropriate sampling and laboratory analysis.
What Else Stands Out in Durham's 2025 Report?
No 2025 Violations Reported
Durham states that no violations covered the compliance period from January 1 through December 31, 2025.
Broad Routine Monitoring
The City reports routinely monitoring more than 150 contaminants under federal and state drinking-water requirements.
Primary Surface-Water Sources
Lake Michie and Little River Reservoir are identified as Durham's main source waters, with both rated “Higher” for susceptibility to potential contaminant sources in the 2020 source-water assessment.
What “Higher” susceptibility means
The City's report explains that a “Higher” source-water susceptibility rating does not mean the drinking water is poor quality. It describes the potential for a source to become contaminated based on the watershed and potential contaminant sources in the assessment area.
What the Durham Water Quality Report Does—and Does Not—Tell You
The annual report explains Durham's municipal water sources, treatment, monitoring and regulatory results. It is useful for understanding the public water system, but it is not a complete diagnosis of water at an individual property.
What the Report Tells You
- Where Durham's municipal drinking water comes from.
- How the public supply is treated and disinfected.
- Which regulated and selected unregulated substances were reported.
- How reported values compare with applicable drinking-water standards.
- System-wide information about lead, copper, PFAS, disinfection byproducts and other water characteristics.
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 property.
- Whether you want additional treatment for drinking-water or household-use goals.
- What may be present in a private well, which is separate from Durham's municipal supply.
- Which treatment system best fits a particular household concern.
Explore Local Water Treatment Options
Choose the Durham resource that best matches your household concern or treatment goal.
Water Problems
Review local contaminant data, household concerns and treatment options.
Explore water problems →Reverse Osmosis
Learn about highly filtered drinking and cooking water from a dedicated faucet.
Explore reverse osmosis →PFAS Water Filters
Explore treatment options focused on PFAS and other drinking-water filtration goals.
Explore PFAS filtration →Water Conditioners
Learn about whole-home treatment for hardness, scale and water feel.
Explore water conditioners →Well Water Treatment
Own a private well? Learn about treatment for well-specific iron, sulfur and other concerns.
Explore well water treatment →Free Water Test
Schedule an in-home evaluation for common household water concerns.
Schedule a free water test →Durham NC Water Quality Report FAQs
What year does Durham's latest water quality report cover?
The City of Durham's latest report is titled the 2025 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report. It summarizes monitoring from calendar year 2025 and was released in 2026.
Where does Durham drinking water come from?
Durham's main surface-water sources are Lake Michie and Little River Reservoir. The 2025 report also states that Durham purchased water from the Town of Cary during the year.
Did Durham water meet drinking-water standards in 2025?
Yes. Durham reports 100% compliance with all drinking-water quality standards for 2025 and states that no violations covered the report year's compliance period.
Were PFAS reported in Durham's 2025 monitoring?
Yes. Durham's Unregulated Contaminants table reports PFOA, PFOS, PFBS and PFBA in samples collected during 2025. The report gives averages and measured ranges in parts per trillion.
Does Durham use chlorine or chloramine?
The City's treatment information identifies chloramines as the disinfectant used in the treatment process. The 2025 report also provides residual monitoring results for both chlorine and chloramines.
What did the Durham report say about lead?
The 2025 lead and copper table reports lead as non-detect at the 90th percentile, with zero sampled sites above the 15 ppb Action Level. Lead can still come from service lines or plumbing at an individual property, so a system-wide result does not determine the condition of every home.
Does the city report test the water inside my house?
The report summarizes public-system monitoring and includes some compliance sampling at customer taps, such as lead and copper sampling. It does not provide a complete water analysis for every individual Durham property.
How can I test water at my Durham 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 purposes that cannot be evaluated through an in-home screening.
Have Questions About Water at Your Durham Home?
Schedule a free in-home water evaluation to review common household concerns and determine whether additional treatment fits your goals.
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