New Bern Water Quality Report
Explore New Bern's groundwater sources, treatment process, selected 2025 testing results, disinfectant information, lead and copper data, and the city's latest Water Quality Report.
What the Latest New Bern Water Quality Report Covers
New Bern's 2025 Water Quality Report explains the city's groundwater sources, treatment process, regulated monitoring, lead and copper sampling, disinfectant residuals, disinfection byproducts, fluoride and unregulated-contaminant monitoring.
About the 2025 results: In the report's drinking-water analysis tables, the listed lead and copper, disinfection byproducts, disinfectant residuals and fluoride results show no MCL, MRDL or action-level exceedances. Some monitoring results, including lead and copper, are from an earlier sampling year because EPA allows certain contaminants to be monitored less frequently when concentrations are not expected to vary significantly.
Where New Bern Tap Water Comes From
New Bern is a public groundwater system. The city draws water from wells in the Castle Hayne and Black Creek aquifers. Castle Hayne wells are located near the northwest city limits by the treatment plant, while Black Creek wells are in the Cove City area about 15 miles west of New Bern.
View the 2025 New Bern Water Quality Report
The embedded document below is the City of New Bern's 2025 Water Quality Report for public water system NC0425010.
Highlights From New Bern's Official Water-Quality Data
The table below highlights selected values from New Bern's 2025 Water Quality Report. The complete report remains the official source for definitions, monitoring dates, ranges, footnotes and regulatory context.
| Substance or Measure | New Bern Reported Result | Standard or Context | Report Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) | 32 ppb LRAA | MCL 80 ppb | No MCL violation listed |
| Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) | 11 ppb LRAA | MCL 60 ppb | No MCL violation listed |
| Chloramines | 2.96 ppm HRAA | MRDL 4.0 ppm | No MRDL violation listed |
| Chlorine | 1.25 ppm HRAA | MRDL 4.0 ppm | No MRDL violation listed |
| Fluoride | 0.89 ppm | MCL 4 ppm | No MCL violation listed |
| Copper | 0.212 ppm at the 90th percentile | Action level 1.3 ppm | 0 sites above action level |
| Lead | ND at the 90th percentile | Action level 15 ppb | 0 sites above action level |
| Finished-Water Hardness | No numeric value published in the 2025 report | City uses ion-exchange softening, then bypasses a portion of water to reach its desired hardness | Treatment information only |
Lead and copper results shown in the 2025 report are from 2023 sampling. “ND” means the laboratory analysis did not detect the contaminant at the method's reporting level.
How New Bern Treats Its Groundwater—and What the Report Says About Unregulated Contaminants
New Bern's treatment process is designed around the characteristics of its groundwater supply. The report also notes that the system samples for unregulated contaminants, which EPA uses to help determine whether future drinking-water regulations may be warranted.
| Treatment Step | What the City Report Describes | Purpose | Homeowner Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aeration / Oxidation / Filtration | Aeration begins oxidation; potassium permanganate is added before greensand filtration | Addresses iron, manganese and hydrogen sulfide in source water | These steps occur before municipal water enters the distribution system |
| Ion-Exchange Softening | Filtered water passes through softeners that remove calcium and magnesium | Reduces groundwater hardness | A portion of water is bypassed afterward to reach the city's desired finished-water hardness |
| Chemical Addition | Chlorine and ammonia are added, along with orthophosphate | Disinfection and corrosion control | Chlorine and ammonia form chloramines used in the distribution system |
| Unregulated Monitoring | The city states that it sampled for a series of unregulated contaminants | Helps EPA evaluate contaminants that may warrant future regulation | The 2025 report directs customers to contact the city to examine those results |
PFAS context: The 2025 New Bern report does not publish a compound-by-compound PFAS table. It states that unregulated-contaminant results are available from the city upon request. A city-wide report also cannot determine the concentration of a contaminant at one individual faucet.
What Else Stands Out in New Bern's 2025 Report?
Twenty Groundwater Wells
The city's Water Treatment Division reports using 20 wells across the Castle Hayne and Black Creek aquifers.
Annual Water Use
New Bern reports total water use of approximately 1.38 billion gallons for 2025, averaging 3.77 million gallons per day.
Finished-Water Storage
The system includes six elevated storage tanks with approximately 9.7 million gallons of finished-water storage.
New Bern uses chloramines for routine secondary disinfection.
The report explains that the city combines chlorine and ammonia to form chloramines, which last longer in the distribution system and form fewer chemical byproducts than free chlorine. The city also describes an annual temporary reversion to free chlorine as a standard water-treatment practice.
What the New Bern Water Quality Report Does—and Does Not—Tell You
The report explains New Bern's municipal groundwater sources, treatment process, monitoring results and regulatory context. It does not provide a complete diagnosis of water at every individual property.
What the Report Tells You
- Where New Bern's municipal drinking water comes from.
- How the city's groundwater is aerated, filtered, softened and disinfected.
- Selected regulated monitoring results and their applicable limits.
- Lead and copper sampling information from the public water system.
- How chloramines are used and why the city periodically returns to free chlorine.
What It May Not Tell You About Your Home
- Conditions created by an individual service line, plumbing system or fixtures.
- How water tastes, smells or feels at one specific property.
- The exact finished-water hardness at your faucet.
- The condition of a private well, which is separate from New Bern's municipal system.
- Which treatment system best fits your household's goals.
Explore Local Water Treatment Options
Continue with the New Bern page 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 at a dedicated faucet.
Explore reverse osmosis →Whole-Home Conditioners
Explore whole-home treatment for hardness, scale, 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 →New Bern Water Quality Report FAQs
Where does New Bern drinking water come from?
New Bern is a groundwater system supplied by wells in the Castle Hayne and Black Creek aquifers. Castle Hayne wells are near the northwest city limits and treatment plant, while Black Creek wells are in the Cove City area west of New Bern.
How does New Bern treat its drinking water?
The city describes aeration, oxidation and greensand filtration for iron, manganese and hydrogen sulfide, followed by ion-exchange softening. Chlorine and ammonia are then added to form chloramines for disinfection, and orthophosphate is added for corrosion control.
Does New Bern use chlorine or chloramine?
New Bern normally uses chloramines as a secondary disinfectant. The city also describes a temporary annual reversion to free chlorine as part of its distribution-system maintenance practice.
Is New Bern water hard?
The 2025 report does not publish a numeric finished-water hardness value. It explains that the treatment plant softens filtered water to remove calcium and magnesium, then bypasses a portion of water to reach the desired finished-water hardness.
What do the latest lead and copper results show?
The 2025 report presents 2023 lead and copper tap-sampling data. Lead was reported as non-detect at the 90th percentile and copper was 0.212 ppm at the 90th percentile, with zero sampled sites above the applicable action levels.
Does the 2025 report list PFAS results?
The report states that New Bern sampled for unregulated contaminants, but it does not publish a compound-by-compound PFAS table. Customers who want to examine the unregulated-monitoring results are directed to contact the city.
Does the city report test the water inside my house?
The report includes public-system monitoring and some tap sampling, such as lead and copper compliance sampling, but it does not provide a complete water analysis for every individual home.
How can I evaluate water at my New Bern home?
East Coast Water Quality offers an in-home evaluation for common household water concerns. Specialized laboratory testing may be needed for contaminants or purposes that cannot be evaluated through an in-home screening.
Have Questions About Water at Your New Bern Home?
Schedule a free in-home water evaluation to discuss common household water concerns and determine whether additional treatment fits your goals.
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