Holly Springs (NC) Drinking Water Tests Above New Federal PFAS Limits

The town’s 2025 water quality report found PFOA and PFOS above new federal standards, but a $7 million treatment project is funded and moving forward.

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Holly Springs, NC, July 14, 2026 — Holly Springs’ recently released 2025 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report (document) shows two PFAS compounds in the town’s water supply at levels above new federal drinking water standards, putting a spotlight on contaminants that have become a growing concern across the Cape Fear River basin. Testing found PFOA at an average of 5.3 parts per trillion and PFOS at 8.7 parts per trillion, compared with a new federal maximum contaminant level of 4 parts per trillion for each compound.

The findings do not mean Holly Springs’ water suddenly became unsafe or that a new contaminant entered the system. PFAS have been present in the Cape Fear River basin for decades, and what has changed is the federal standard against which those levels are now being measured. For Holly Springs residents, the key question is what happens next: the treatment solution has been selected, more than $7 million in funding has been secured, and the project is now in the design phase.

What the Rest of the Water Report Shows

PFAS stand out in the 2025 report because the town’s water otherwise met federal requirements across the other measured parameters. Lead was non-detectable in 90th-percentile tap samples, a result that has held across multiple testing cycles, while copper measured 0.03 parts per million, about 2 percent of the federal Action Level.

Testing for bacteria, turbidity, disinfection byproducts and other regulated contaminants also showed the water in compliance with applicable standards. The town also completed a Lead-Free service line inventory that found public and private service lines in the system are made from non-lead materials.

Taken as a whole, the report shows a water system meeting existing federal requirements while facing a specific challenge created by newly established PFAS standards.

What Are PFAS?

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS, are a large family of synthetic chemicals that have been used in manufacturing and consumer products since the 1940s. They have been used in products including nonstick cookware, stain-resistant carpeting, water-repellent clothing, food packaging and firefighting foam.

The same chemical properties that make PFAS useful also make them difficult to break down, allowing them to persist in the environment for long periods and earning them the nickname “forever chemicals.” PFAS contamination is not new to the Cape Fear River basin, where upstream industrial discharges have contributed measurable levels of these chemicals for decades.

What changed in 2024 was the federal regulatory framework, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized the first enforceable national drinking water limits for several PFAS compounds. Holly Springs purchases finished water from Harnett Regional Water, which draws from the Cape Fear River near Lillington, meaning the PFAS levels reported by Holly Springs reflect that source water and treatment system.

A Treatment Solution Is in the Works

Harnett Regional Water has completed a pilot program evaluating treatment technologies designed to reduce PFAS, comparing both effectiveness and cost. The selected solution is Granular Activated Carbon, or GAC, filtration, a widely used technology for removing PFAS from drinking water, and the project is now in the design phase.

Funding has also been secured. Holly Springs applied for and was awarded $7.021 million in Emerging Contaminant funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and North Carolina’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, with the money designated for construction of GAC filtration at Harnett Regional Water’s Sanford Water Filtration Facility.

The compliance target is 2031, reflecting a proposed EPA extension from the original 2029 deadline to give water systems additional time to design, permit and construct treatment infrastructure. The 2025 monitoring also satisfies a separate federal requirement for water systems to complete initial PFAS testing by 2027.

Why Nearby Communities May Have Lower Levels

PFAS levels can vary significantly among neighboring communities because those communities do not necessarily draw their drinking water from the same source. Apex and Cary draw water from Jordan Lake rather than the Cape Fear River, and their 2025 reports show PFOA at approximately 1.3 parts per trillion and PFOS at non-detectable levels, below the new federal limits.

Their shared treatment plant has also used powdered activated carbon since 2018, a process that can reduce PFAS in finished water. The difference is largely tied to source water and treatment: Jordan Lake carries a lower PFAS load than the portion of the Cape Fear River used by Harnett Regional Water.

Fuquay-Varina, which also receives water from Harnett Regional Water, has a similar PFAS profile to Holly Springs for the same reason. The planned GAC filtration system is intended to address PFAS at the treatment plant before the finished water reaches customers, regardless of what enters the river upstream.

What Should Holly Springs Residents Do?

For most residents, the report does not call for immediate action. PFAS exposure can come from multiple sources, including consumer products, food packaging and other environmental pathways, with drinking water representing one potential source of overall exposure.

Residents who want to reduce PFAS levels in their drinking water while the new treatment system is being developed can consider certain home filtration systems. Reverse osmosis systems certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 58 and activated carbon filters certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 53 can reduce certain PFAS compounds when properly installed, maintained and replaced according to manufacturer instructions. Boiling water does not remove PFAS and should not be used as a method for reducing exposure.

The Bottom Line

Holly Springs’ 2025 water quality report identifies a real issue: PFOA and PFOS were detected at levels above the new federal drinking water limits. Those contaminants are present in water supplied through Harnett Regional Water and will require additional treatment infrastructure to bring levels below the new standards.

The response, however, is already underway. The treatment technology has been selected, the pilot testing has been completed, more than $7 million in funding has been awarded, and the filtration project has moved into design.

For Holly Springs residents, the annual report is therefore more than a table of test results. It documents a PFAS challenge tied to the region’s source water and shows that a funded treatment project is moving forward to address it.