Full contaminant data, sample history, and sourcing for Beaufort County. For readers who want to go beyond the summary.
Contaminant Data — All Analytes
287 well testing events on record, covering
22 analytes.
Data spans 1942 to 2024.
Contaminant
Samples
Years
Detection Rate
Distribution LowModHigh
vs. Limit
vs. NC Avg
Iron
236
1942–2022
100%
295% of limit
~ typical
Manganese
53
1947–2022
94%
107% of limit
↑ 22% above
Chloride
270
1942–2022
100%
9% of limit
↑ 46% above
Sulfate
98
1942–2022
90%
1% of limit
↓ 68% below
Nitrate
71
1942–2022
51%
1% of limit
↓ 91% below
Fluoride
258
1942–2022
98%
12% of limit
↑ 128% above
Arsenic
26
1994–2022
62%
2% of limit
↓ 56% below
HFPO-DA (GenX)
municipal
10
2023–2025
0%
—
—
Lead
26
1994–2022
38%
0% of limit
↓ 85% below
Nitrite
38
1994–2022
45%
0% of limit
↓ 67% below
PFHxS
municipal
10
2023–2025
0%
—
—
PFNA
municipal
10
2023–2025
0%
—
—
PFOA
municipal
10
2023–2025
0%
—
—
PFOS
municipal
10
2023–2025
0%
—
—
Radon
11
1994–2013
100%
7% of limit
↓ 70% below
Uranium
28
1994–2022
36%
0% of limit
↓ 49% below
Total Coliform
1
2013–2022
0%
—
—
Sodium
55
1954–2022
100%
—
↓ 26% below
pH
261
1947–2023
100%
—
~ typical
PFBS
municipal
10
2023–2025
0%
—
—
Hardness
269
1942–2022
100%
—
↑ 187% above
E. coli
1
2013–2022
0%
—
—
Distribution shows the share of samples in each concentration band relative to the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): Low = below half the MCL, Moderate = between half and the MCL, High = above the MCL. Analytes without an MCL (e.g. sodium, pH) show — in the limit columns. State average is based on county median values across NC.
Compare your result with Beaufort County
Of the 26 arsenic tests on record for Beaufort County (1994–2022),
38% found none, and half were below 65 ng/L.
Of the 270 chloride tests on record for Beaufort County (1942–2022),
0% found none, and half were below 23 mg/L.
Of the 258 fluoride tests on record for Beaufort County (1942–2022),
2% found none, and half were below 400 µg/L.
Of the 236 iron tests on record for Beaufort County (1942–2022),
0% found none, and half were below 885 µg/L.
Of the 26 lead tests on record for Beaufort County (1994–2022),
62% found none.
Of the 53 manganese tests on record for Beaufort County (1947–2022),
6% found none, and half were below 50.6 µg/L.
Of the 71 nitrate tests on record for Beaufort County (1942–2022),
49% found none.
Of the 98 sulfate tests on record for Beaufort County (1942–2022),
10% found none, and half were below 2 mg/L.
Of the 28 uranium tests on record for Beaufort County (1994–2022),
64% found none.
Data Coverage & Gaps
Well-sampled analytes (15+ samples)
Iron 236 samples
Manganese 53 samples
Chloride 270 samples
Sulfate 98 samples
Nitrate 71 samples
Fluoride 258 samples
Arsenic 26 samples
Lead 26 samples
Nitrite 38 samples
Uranium 28 samples
Sodium 55 samples
pH 261 samples
Hardness 269 samples
Limited data (<15 samples) — interpret with caution
Radon 11 samples
Total Coliform 1 sample
E. coli 1 sample
No private-well PFAS data for Beaufort County
We have no private well sampling data for PFAS compounds (PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, and related chemicals) in Beaufort County.
PFAS testing for private wells requires a dedicated lab panel (~$300–$500). If you are near a military base, airport, or industrial site, consider testing proactively. Learn more about PFAS →
CDC Health Outcome Correlations
Where contaminants detected in Beaufort County have established associations with specific health outcomes, we cross-reference CDC PLACES county-level prevalence data. This is a contextual signal, not a causal claim.
This report aggregates data from the following public databases:
Water Quality Portal (WQP) — groundwater sample results for Beaufort County from EPA, USGS, and state agencies. Browse WQP data →
EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) — public water system inventory used to estimate the share of residents on private wells. Browse SDWIS →
Census ACS 5-Year Estimates — well and cistern household counts (variable DP04_0074E) used to calculate the private-well percentage for Beaufort County. Census data explorer →
USGS Aquifer Atlas — principal aquifer type underlying Beaufort County, which informs which contaminants are geologically likely. USGS Aquifer Atlas →
EPA UCMR 5 (2023–2025) — PFAS occurrence data from public water systems, used as a proxy indicator for aquifer PFAS exposure. Rows marked "municipal" in the table above come from this source. About UCMR 5 →
EPA Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) — industrial facility chemical releases near Beaufort County, used in contamination risk scoring. TRI Explorer →
EPA Superfund NPL — National Priorities List sites in or near Beaufort County, used in contamination risk scoring. Superfund site search →
CDC PLACES — county-level health outcome prevalence (kidney disease, cancer, heart disease) correlated with detected contaminants. About CDC PLACES →
Methodology
Raw records are downloaded from the Water Quality Portal and normalized to µg/L (ppb). Records are deduplicated by sample ID and date, and certified outliers are excluded. Analyte names are mapped to EPA canonical forms. Detection rates, distribution bands, and MCL comparisons are computed from the normalized dataset.
Distribution bands use the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level as the threshold: concentrations below 50% of the MCL are classed as Low, between 50% and 100% as Moderate, and above 100% as High. For analytes without an MCL (sodium, hardness, pH), distribution is not computed.
State comparison uses the median of county median values across all counties in NC with at least one sample for that analyte.