Water Service Outages in North Carolina by City
86% of North Carolina's 1,980 community water systems serve 3,300 people or fewer, so many outages and boil water notices affect a single small town or subdivision.
North Carolina drinking water record
Busiest year: 2024 (402 violations). Counted by the year the violation period began. Source: EPA SDWIS.
- Community water systems: 1,980 active systems serve about 9,657,715 people. 1,702 of them (86%) serve 3,300 people or fewer; 1,533 draw mainly on groundwater and 445 on surface water.
- Health-based violations since 2015: 1,177, at 481 systems (24% of all systems). That share is 19th of 50 states (1 = lowest).
- Most common problems: contaminant averages over the limit (705); lead and copper corrosion-control studies (35); contaminant readings over the limit (34). Source: EPA SDWIS
- Largest system: Charlotte Water, about 1,163,701 people, with 0 health-based violations since 2015. Source: EPA SDWIS
- Housing age: the median North Carolina home was built in 1991 (US 1980). Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 (table B25035)
- Storm damage to water service: NOAA storm narratives mention water mains, boil water notices or lost water service in 5 episodes in North Carolina since 2015. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
- April 26, 2019, Gates (thunderstorm wind): “Trees were downed on Water Plant Road.” Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
- September 14, 2018, Duplin (flash flood): “The town of Kenansville worked an overflow and failure at their wastewater treatment plant at 0353 LST on the 15th.” Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
| System | People served | Main source | Health violations since 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte Water | 1,163,701 | Surface water | 0 |
| Raleigh, City Of | 650,000 | Surface water | 0 |
| Winston-Salem, City Of | 391,900 | Surface water | 0 |
| Durham, City Of | 333,490 | Surface water | 0 |
| Greensboro, City Of | 319,588 | Surface water | 0 |
| Cary, Town Of | 227,300 | Surface water | 1 |
Source: EPA SDWIS.
North Carolina is 5th of 5 (1 = lowest share). Source: EPA SDWIS.
Checked September 2026.
Who to call in North Carolina, city by city
10 North Carolina cities on this site and the water utility for each. What to do while you wait is in our water service outage guide.
- Charlotte Charlotte Water
- Raleigh Raleigh Water
- Greensboro Greensboro Water Resources
- Durham City of Durham Water Management
- Winston-Salem City of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities
- Fayetteville Fayetteville Public Works Commission (PWC)
- Cary Town of Cary Utilities
- Wilmington Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA)
- High Point City of High Point Public Services
- Asheville City of Asheville Water Resources
Frequently asked questions
Is there a water service outage in North Carolina right now?
Not on this site: no reports from North Carolina in the last 24 hours.
How many public water systems are in North Carolina?
EPA records list 1,980 active community water systems in North Carolina, serving about 9,657,715 people. 86% serve 3,300 people or fewer.
How common are drinking water violations in North Carolina?
Since 2015, 481 of 1,980 community water systems in North Carolina (24%) have had at least one health-based violation, 1,177 in total.
What is the largest water system in North Carolina?
Charlotte Water, which EPA records list as serving about 1,163,701 people.
Report counts are user-submitted; other figures name their official source. How our data works
Cities in North Carolina with Water Service Outages Information
Asheville
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 94,206
City of Asheville Water Resources
Cary
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 174,721
Town of Cary Utilities
Durham
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 278,993
City of Durham Water Management
Fayetteville
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 208,501
Fayetteville Public Works Commission (PWC)
Greensboro
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 298,263
Greensboro Water Resources
High Point
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 112,791
City of High Point Public Services
Wilmington
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 115,451
Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA)
Winston-Salem
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 247,945
City of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities