What About Lead?

Cape Fear Public Utility Authority - New Hanover County - click here to return to the utility page.

According to EWG’s analysis of 2019 lead testing results, this utility detected excessive lead in water served to some customers. Under the federal Lead and Copper Rule, lead concentrations must be below 15 parts per billion (ppb) in 90 percent of households sampled. If this legal limit is exceeded, the water utility must apply measures to control lead leaching from water pipes.

Number of lead samples taken in 2019: 30

Highest level detected in 2019: 20.0 ppb

Levels of lead detected

Complying with the EPA's lead rules doesn't mean that the water is safe for children to drink. The EPA’s recent modeling suggests that lead concentrations in the 3.8 to 15 ppb range can put a formula-fed baby at risk of elevated blood lead levels. In 2009, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment set a public health goal level of 0.2 ppb for lead in drinking water to protect against even subtle IQ loss in children.

Lead Results, 2019

Read more about lead here.