Nash County, NC
drinking water quality
97,990 residents · 54 public water systems · 9 ZIP codes
EPA sampled 3 of 54 public water systems here, together serving about 69,466 people. The highest reading was PFOS at 490 ng/L at Town of Nashville. 3 of the sampled systems were above a federal limit. Last sampled 9/23/2024.
What was found
| Compound | Highest result | Federal limit | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| PFOS | 490 ng/L | 4 ng/L | 122.5× |
| PFHxS | 35 ng/L | 10 ng/L | 3.5× |
| PFOA | 6.6 ng/L | 4 ng/L | 1.6× |
Also detected, with no federal limit set: lithium (9500 ng/L), PFHxA (4.6 ng/L), PFHpS (3.6 ng/L), PFBS (3.6 ng/L).
Health-based violations
Separately from PFAS, EPA records 11 health-based violations across 9 of the county’s water systems since 2020, the most recent in 2025. They involved haloacetic acids, E. coli, contaminant 2946, nitrate.
What this means
PFAS are industrial chemicals that EPA describes as breaking down only very slowly in the environment. In April 2024 EPA set the first enforceable national limits: 4 ng/L for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ng/L for PFHxS, PFNA and GenX.
These figures are county-level and come from EPA’s sampling of public water systems. They describe the worst result found in the county, not what comes out of any particular tap — that depends on which system serves the address, and on the plumbing in the building. A private well is not covered by this programme at all.
Find out what is in your own tap
This is a county-level reading from federal monitoring. What comes out of your own tap depends on your system — and on your home.
Orca Blue Water is the water treatment provider listed for Nash County.
ZIP codes in Nash County
27557 · 27803 · 27804 · 27807 · 27816 · 27856 · 27878 · 27882 · 27891
Readings are county-level, so every ZIP here shares the figure above. Search your ZIP on the map to see it in context.