Raleigh’s public water supply consistently meets all federal and state drinking water standards set for public health protection. The straightforward answer is yes, Raleigh tap water is safe to drink. The City of Raleigh Public Utilities Department, known as Raleigh Water, is responsible for treating and distributing water that complies with strict regulations. This high quality is maintained through continuous monitoring and advanced treatment processes applied to the region’s surface water sources. This article outlines the systems in place that confirm its ongoing safety.
The Source of Raleigh’s Drinking Water
The majority of Raleigh’s drinking water originates from the Falls Lake Reservoir, located north of the city in Wake County. This reservoir serves as the primary water source for the region’s public utility system. Lake Benson, situated in Garner, North Carolina, is a secondary source that supplements the supply during high demand or maintenance.
Both Falls Lake and Lake Benson are surface water sources, exposed to environmental factors and runoff that can introduce contaminants. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) gives both lakes a higher susceptibility rating compared to groundwater sources. Raleigh Water manages the surrounding watersheds to protect the raw water quality before it enters the treatment facilities.
Water Treatment and Quality Monitoring
Raleigh Water operates two main facilities to process this raw water: the E.M. Johnson Water Treatment Plant and the Dempsey E. Benton Water Treatment Plant. The E.M. Johnson plant treats water from Falls Lake, handling the largest volume, processing an average of 41 million gallons per day. The Dempsey E. Benton plant treats water drawn from Lake Benson, utilizing a modern process that begins with adding ozone to the raw water.
The treatment process at both facilities involves several physical and chemical steps to remove impurities. Initial steps include rapid mixing, coagulation, and flocculation, where chemicals are added to help tiny particles clump together. These larger clusters then settle out during sedimentation before the water is moved into filtration systems. The final stage is disinfection, which uses chloramines and, at the Dempsey E. Benton plant, ultraviolet (UV) light to eliminate microbial pathogens, ensuring the water is safe before distribution.
Raleigh Water staff perform thousands of tests monthly on the drinking water throughout the year. These ongoing analyses check for a vast array of substances, including trace metals, pesticides, and bacteria. This rigorous internal monitoring ensures that water quality is maintained at the treatment plants and throughout the 2,500 miles of water distribution lines.
Regulatory Compliance and Annual Quality Reports
The safety of Raleigh’s drinking water is validated by an external regulatory framework, primarily the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Under this act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets legally enforceable standards called Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for various substances. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) monitors and enforces these federal standards at the state level.
The City of Raleigh consistently reports full compliance with all state and national drinking water regulations, demonstrating that contaminant levels remain below the MCLs. This compliance is publicly documented each year in the Consumer Confidence Report (CCR), which is mandated by the EPA. The CCR is a comprehensive summary of the previous year’s water quality data, including details about the water sources and the detected levels of all regulated contaminants. Readers can easily access Raleigh’s latest CCR on the city’s official website to view the specific test results and compare them against regulatory limits. The continuous compliance with these federal standards provides the definitive assurance that Raleigh’s tap water is safe for consumption.
Addressing Specific Household Water Concerns
Even when municipal water is compliant, residents may notice issues related to taste, odor, or plumbing. A common complaint is a slight chlorine smell or taste, a byproduct of the necessary disinfection process using chloramines. This odor is not harmful, and a simple solution is to fill a pitcher with tap water and chill it in the refrigerator, allowing the volatile chlorine to dissipate.
Raleigh’s water is moderately soft, with hardness levels around 27.8 parts per million (ppm), which minimizes scale buildup in plumbing and appliances. A more serious concern is lead exposure, which rarely comes from the treated water leaving the plant. Lead typically enters the water from older household plumbing, such as lead service lines or internal pipes that contain lead solder.
Although Raleigh Water has no known lead service lines in its public infrastructure, it maintains a corrosion control program that adjusts the water’s pH to prevent lead from leaching from private plumbing. For homes built before 1987, when lead solder was banned, the utility recommends running cold water for about five minutes to flush out stagnant water. Raleigh Water also offers free lead testing kits to customers who wish to check their individual household water quality.