Pilot NC Department of Environmental Quality PFAS reimbursement program now available for residents who rely on private drinking water wells. Application info is here.

Information About Private Wells

Private wells are an important component of the water resource infrastructure in Guilford County. Close to 25 percent of residents rely on private wells and throughout NC, private wells serve roughly 25 percent of residents.

The City of Greensboro and Guilford County Environmental Health (GCHD) share a commitment to inform residents about the presence of emerging contaminants in the water supply, and just as importantly, the steps we are taking to minimize the risks these contaminants can pose to our community.

In fall 2018 and again in December 2022, GCHD partnered with NC Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) Division of Solid Waste to sample private (drinking water) wells that may be of potential concern due to their close proximity to Horsepen and Brush creeks. These tributaries collect stormwater runoff from the area around the airport industrial complex. It was in these tributaries and the drainage channels connected to them where Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) were detected.

To update and educate the public on the potential health concern and investigation surrounding these compounds, GCHD, NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and NCDEQ Division of Waste Management hosted a community meeting in December 2018 and November 2022.

In both meetings, the plan for sampling private wells and sharing the results was presented. The City, county and state responded to questions about the steps being taken to address the presence of PFAS in the community and across NC.

Both sampling events were performed as a precautionary and proactive measure to determine the impact on private wells due to the presence of PFAS in the City's watershed and more recently in light of the lower interim updated Health Advisory Levels (HALs) for PFOS and PFOA established by the EPA in June 2022.

*View the EPA's final National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) here.

Guilford County Public Health and NCDEQ staff collected water samples in December 2018 from 42 private water supply wells. Residents were notified of their well water results by letters sent out from the state on January 25, 2019. Between December 2022 and January 2023, samples were collected from 64 private wells to evaluate potential groundwater contamination by these compounds and in light of revised HALs. The state will once again provide sample results to residents for the more recent sampling event.

Of the 42 wells sampled in 2018, three wells indicated the presence of Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), but the concentration was below EPA’s drinking water health advisory of 70 ng/L (ppt). Several of the remaining water samples collected had an estimated concentration for these contaminants, however they were well below the drinking water health advisory level established by EPA. 

On June 14, 2019, a second round of well sampling was performed by Guilford County Public Health and NCDEQ staff. Ten wells (one new and nine repeat locations) were sampled and all results were below the EPA's HAL of 70 ng/L (ppt).

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Heath Ward, Environmental Health Manager II, Guilford County Public Health, at 336-641-7613 or by email.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Shelby McLean, Environmental Health Manager II, Guilford County Public Health, at 336-641-7613 or by email.

For residents who rely on a private well for their source of water and are concerned about the quality of the water they may be receiving, Guilford County Environmental Health provides technical assistance and (fee-based) water quality testing.

While the county’s public health laboratory is not designed to test for emerging contaminants like PFOS and PFOA, it can refer concerned residents to laboratories that are set up to perform this type of analysis.

Three such laboratories, which can perform these tests for a fee, are listed below.

PFOS / PFOA Analysis Laboratories

Con-Test Analytical Laboratory
Contact: Adam Phillips, Business Development Representative
Mobile: 919-451-3370

Eurofins Eaton Analytical LLC
Contact: Joseph M. Mattheis, Account Manager/Analytical Services Manager
Phone: 919-803-577
Mobile: 919-376-7978
E-mail

Pace Analytical 
Contact: Nathan Eklund
Phone: 612-710-0151
E-mail
or
Contact: Paul Jackson
Phone: 813-731-1595
E-mail