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Wake County, North Carolina — public water systems

At a glance

441 active public water systems are filed under Wake County, North Carolina in EPA's SDWIS records, together reporting 1,161,234 people served. The largest is City of Raleigh, which reports serving 650,000 people. 327 are community water systems serving people where they live; the other 114 are non-community systems, such as schools, workplaces, campgrounds and gas stations with their own supply.

Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO, refreshed quarterly.

Active systems

441

Population served

1.2M

Community systems

327

Groundwater share

97.3%

How does Wake County compare with other North Carolina counties?

Wake County has the most active public water systems among the 137 counties listed for active North Carolina systems in EPA records; among the 102 with 3 or more systems, the median has 29. Its systems report 1,161,234 people served in total, the 2nd-largest county figure in the state and 12% of the statewide total. The average system here reports serving 2,633 people, about 34% above the North Carolina average of 1,971. Population figures are what each system reports; people served by more than one system, such as a wholesaler and the town that buys from it, are counted by each.

Where does Wake County's drinking water come from?

By primary water source, Wake County's active systems draw on groundwater (429, 97%), purchased surface water (9, 2%) and surface water (3, 0.7%). Overall, 97% rely mainly on groundwater (including purchased groundwater) and 2.7% on surface water, compared with 91% and 9.1% across North Carolina. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. The county's largest system, City of Raleigh, draws primarily on surface water.

What kinds of water systems operate in Wake County?

Wake County's active systems break down as 327 community systems (74%), 6 non-transient non-community systems (1.4%) and 108 transient non-community systems (24%). A community water system serves at least 15 connections used by year-round residents, or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. Homes, apartments and mobile-home parks are served by these. A non-transient non-community water system regularly serves at least 25 of the same people for more than six months a year, but not where they live. Schools, factories, office buildings and hospitals with their own supply are typical examples. A transient non-community water system serves places where people do not stay long, such as gas stations and campgrounds, and regularly serves at least 25 people a day for at least 60 days a year. EPA lists their owner types as private (95%), local government (2.9%), state government (1.4%) and federal government (0.2%).

The 50 largest water systems in Wake County

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Active public water systems in Wake County, North Carolina
#Water systemCountyPopulation servedTypeSource
1Raleigh, City ofWake650,000CommunitySurface water
2Cary, Town ofWake227,300CommunitySurface water
3Apex, Town ofWake83,001CommunityPurchased surface water
4Holly Springs, Town ofWake51,947CommunityPurchased surface water
5Fuquay-Varina, Town ofWake42,954CommunityPurchased surface water
6Bayleaf MasterWake16,715CommunityGroundwater
7New Light MasterWake2,619CommunityGroundwater
8Stonehenge S/DWake1,840CommunityGroundwater
9Rockbridge S/DWake1,042CommunityGroundwater
10Harris Nuclear Plant Water SystemWake1,001Non-transient non-communitySurface water
11Holland Umc AnnexWake1,000Transient non-communityGroundwater
12Medfield Estates S/DWake772CommunityGroundwater
13Turner Farms Iii & IvWake757CommunityGroundwater
14Deerchase S/DWake757CommunityGroundwater
15Amber Acres North S/DWake752CommunityGroundwater
16Amber Ridge S/DWake742CommunityGroundwater
17Royal Senter Ridge S/DWake740CommunityGroundwater
18Sandy Trail S/DWake739CommunityGroundwater
19Rutledge Landing S/DWake713CommunityGroundwater
20Mallards Crossing S/DWake709CommunityGroundwater
21Mobile EstatesWake690CommunityPurchased surface water
22Whittingham Master SystemWake680CommunityGroundwater
23Myatt Mill S/DWake676CommunityGroundwater
24Lynnhaven-CrowsdaleWake650CommunityGroundwater
25Kensington Meadows S/DWake638CommunityGroundwater
26Glendale Master SystemWake633CommunityGroundwater
27Weekend Retreat/Southern OakWake615CommunityGroundwater
28Camelot S/DWake607CommunityGroundwater
29West Oaks S/DWake605CommunityGroundwater
30Ashley Hills North S/DWake602CommunityGroundwater
31Broadhurst/Turner Downs S/DWake597CommunityGroundwater
32Saddle Run S/DWake589CommunityGroundwater
33Middle Creek MasterWake580CommunityGroundwater
34Avocet S/DWake566CommunityGroundwater
35Crest of Carolina MasterWake564CommunityGroundwater
36Stagecoach S/DWake561CommunityGroundwater
37Nottingham Forest S/DWake549CommunityGroundwater
38Baywood Forest S/DWake533CommunityGroundwater
39Jamison Park S/DWake531CommunityGroundwater
40All Star MHPWake530CommunityGroundwater
41Windhaven S/DWake528CommunityGroundwater
42Wilders Ridge S/DWake518CommunityGroundwater
43Turner Farms V Master SystemWake518CommunityGroundwater
44Briarwood/KildaireWake517CommunityGroundwater
45Cotesworth Down S/DWake510CommunityGroundwater
46Church of Jesus Christ Lds_4092129Wake500Transient non-communityGroundwater
47Speedway 6959Wake500Transient non-communityGroundwater
48Southern Trace S/DWake485CommunityGroundwater
49Honeycutt Landing S/DWake473CommunityGroundwater
50Cross Creek MHPWake467CommunityGroundwater

All other water systems in Wake County (391)

The remaining active systems filed under Wake County, largest first, with the population each reports serving.

Wake County water systems: frequently asked questions

How many public water systems are in Wake County, North Carolina?

EPA's SDWIS records file 441 active public water systems under Wake County, North Carolina: 327 community systems (74%), 6 non-transient non-community systems (1.4%) and 108 transient non-community systems (24%).

Who supplies drinking water in Wake County, NC?

The largest community water systems filed under Wake County are City of Raleigh (650,000 people served), Town of Cary (227,300 people served) and Town of Apex (83,001 people served). Which system serves a particular address depends on its service area, which EPA's SDWIS records do not include; a water bill or the local utility can confirm it.

Does Wake County's drinking water come from groundwater or surface water?

Of the 441 active public water systems in Wake County, 97% draw mainly on groundwater and 2.7% on surface water, counting purchased supplies. The largest system, City of Raleigh, uses surface water.

Where can I find a water quality report for Wake County?

Each community water system must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1, covering the previous calendar year. 327 community systems are filed under Wake County, so the report to look for is the one from the system that supplies your address.

How can I check violations for a water system in Wake County?

Open the system's profile from the list on this page. Each profile shows the most recent Safe Drinking Water Act violations in EPA's records, with plain-English labels and whether each one is resolved. For current compliance status, EPA ECHO is the primary source.

More North Carolina water systems

About this data

Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and SDWA violation records, via EPA ECHO, as published October 1, 2026 — AquaCensus refreshes it quarterly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.

Cite as: AquaCensus, “Public water systems in Wake County, North Carolina”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/north-carolina/wake (data as of October 1, 2026).