Wilmington water at a glance
- Water utility
- Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA)
- Source
- The Cape Fear River, treated at the Sweeney plant, serves about 80% of CFPUA customers (CFPUA)
- PFAS treatment
- Granular activated carbon filters at Sweeney since October 2022; CFPUA reports PFAS at or near non-detectable levels
- Disinfection
- Chlorine, after ozone and UV at the Sweeney plant (CFPUA 2025 water quality report)
- Hardness
- About 50 ppm on average in 2025, which is soft (CFPUA)
- Private wells
- Tested by New Hanover County Environmental Health; PFAS sampling available for eligible wells
Which utility serves your home?
Around Wilmington, water comes from several utilities:
- Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA) serves Wilmington and much of New Hanover County.
- Brunswick County Public Utilities serves much of Brunswick County.
- H2GO serves parts of Leland and Belville.
- Pender County Utilities serves parts of Pender County, including the Hampstead area.
Check your water bill to see which one serves you. Each publishes its own annual water quality report, and our test measures what actually reaches your tap.
How hard is Wilmington water?
Hardness in Wilmington
Most CFPUA customers get treated Cape Fear River water from the Sweeney plant, and CFPUA publishes hardness in its annual water quality report. Groundwater generally carries more minerals than river water, so homes on private wells can test harder than city water.
Across the river in Leland and the rest of Brunswick County, and up in Pender County, water comes from other utilities or private wells, so the answer can change from one town to the next. Testing at your tap settles it.
Signs worth testing for
White crust on faucets, spots on glassware, soap that won't lather and scale in the water heater can all point to hard water, but dissolved solids and detergent residue cause similar marks. We measure both before recommending anything.
What a softener does, and doesn't
A softener trades calcium and magnesium for sodium or potassium and is sized to your hardness and household water use. It does not remove chlorine, chloramine, PFAS or lead; those need carbon filtration or reverse osmosis. How water softeners work.
What happens at your free test
Your free test measures hardness, chlorine or chloramine, iron, pH and total dissolved solids at your tap, and you keep the written report. We recommend a softener only if your results call for it. How the free test works.
See typical installed prices in our water softener cost guide.
Where we work around Wilmington
We test homes across Wilmington, Leland, Carolina Beach, Wrightsville Beach and Hampstead.
Sources
- CFPUA: Sweeney Treatment Enhancements Project (GAC filters)
- CFPUA: annual drinking water quality report
- New Hanover County: drinking water safety and private wells
- NC DEQ: PFAS well sampling for Lower Cape Fear residents
Frequently asked questions
Is Wilmington water hard?
CFPUA reports its water averaged about 50 ppm of hardness in 2025, which is soft. Coastal groundwater and private wells can carry more minerals than city water. Private wells vary, so testing shows your actual level.
Is Leland water the same as Wilmington water?
Not necessarily. Leland and the rest of Brunswick County are served by different utilities than CFPUA, and many homes use private wells. A test at your tap shows what you have.
Will a water softener fix chlorine or chloramine taste?
No. Softeners exchange hardness minerals and do not remove disinfectants. Carbon filtration, with catalytic carbon for chloramine, or reverse osmosis handles taste and odor.