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Not health advice. Contact your local water utility for concerns.
Data from EPA Water Quality Reports. For official information, contact your water utility or health department.
Side-by-side EPA records for the two public water systems · EPA SDWIS/ECHO 2026Q2 · UCMR5 (2023–2026, July 2026 release) · SYR4 six-year review 2012–2019 · methodology
Charlotte has the better EPA record — grade A (96/100) vs grade A (94/100).
ATLANTA · serves 1,089,893
CHARLOTTE WATER · serves 1,163,701
| Metric | Atlanta | Charlotte |
|---|---|---|
| Grade / score | A · 94/100 | A · 96/100 |
| Health-based EPA violations, last 5 yrs | 0 | 0 |
| Health-based violations unresolved | 0 | 0 |
| Monitoring / reporting violations, last 5 yrs | 0 | 0 |
| Lead 90th percentile (action level 15 ppb) | 1.4 ppb (2022–2024) | 0 ppb (2023–2025) |
| PFAS detected (UCMR5 2023–2026) | PFBA, PFBS, PFHxA, PFPeA | PFBA, PFPeA |
| Primary water source | Surface water | Surface water |
| Population served | 1,089,893 | 1,163,701 |
| EPA PWSID | GA1210001 | NC0160010 |
Green = the better value where the two systems differ. Lead and PFAS figures describe water leaving the plant, not any individual tap.
Water with a clean EPA record still benefits from a carbon filter for chlorine, taste and odor.
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Charlotte — it scores 96/100 (grade A) against 94/100 (grade A) on EPA records. Neither system has a health-based EPA violation in the last five years
Atlanta grades A (94/100): no health-based EPA violations in the last five years, lead 90th percentile 1.4 ppb, PFAS detected (PFBA, PFBS, PFHxA, PFPeA).
Charlotte grades A (96/100): no health-based EPA violations in the last five years, lead 90th percentile 0 ppb, PFAS detected (PFBA, PFPeA).