{STATE.name} water health

Live list of North Carolina beaches under advisory or closure for E. coli, sewage, or algal blooms. EGLE BeachGuard data updated daily.

North Carolina tests over 400 public beaches throughout the summer (May–September) for E. coli and algal toxins. A beach goes under advisory when E. coli exceeds 300 colonies per 100mL of water — that's the level the EPA links to a ~3.6% risk of gastrointestinal illness from swimming. A closure means contamination is severe enough that the beach is closed to the public.

• Before swimming, check the EGLE BeachGuard daily list for your beach.
• Avoid swallowing lake water — most bacterial risk is from accidental ingestion.
• Don't swim within 24-48 hours of heavy rain (storm runoff carries the most contamination).
• If you swim at an advisory beach and feel sick within 5 days, call your county health department.

Active boil-water advisories, lead-action exceedances, and EPA Safe Drinking Water Act violations for North Carolina public water systems.

North Carolina has 1,400+ public water systems serving roughly 80% of the state population. Federal Safe Drinking Water Act standards cover lead, copper, bacteria, nitrate, arsenic, and disinfection by-products. The Flint water crisis (2014–15) and ongoing PFAS issues have made North Carolina one of the most actively monitored states in the country.

• During a Boil Water Advisory: boil water 1 full minute before drinking, cooking, ice, or brushing teeth.
• For lead concerns: run cold water 30 seconds before drinking if a faucet has been unused for several hours.
• Get your annual Consumer Confidence Report from your water utility every July.
• For wells: test annually for bacteria and nitrate, every 3 years for arsenic, every 5 years for radon.

NOAA Great Lakes Harmful Algal Bloom Outlook for Lake Erie, Saginaw Bay, and other North Carolina waters. Bloom severity, location, and drinking-water risk.

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are excessive growths of cyanobacteria (sometimes called blue-green algae) that can produce toxins like microcystin. In North Carolina they're most common in western Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay during late summer. The 2014 Toledo water crisis — when microcystin contaminated drinking water for 500,000 people — was caused by a Lake Erie HAB.

• Do not swim, drink, or let pets enter water that looks like spilled paint, has green scum, or smells musty.
• If exposed, rinse skin and eyes with clean water immediately. Watch for nausea, vomiting, or skin rash.
• If your drinking water comes from Lake Erie or Saginaw Bay, follow your water utility's daily advisories.
• Report a suspected bloom to EGLE at AlgaeBloom@Michigan.gov with photos and location.

Census-tract environmental health and chronic disease burden across North Carolina from CDC PLACES. Asthma, COPD, cancer, cardiovascular, and air-quality impact.

CDC PLACES is the first national project to map chronic disease rates, health behaviors, and prevention measures at the census-tract level. For North Carolina it shows where asthma, COPD, cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease are concentrated — often overlapping with industrial corridors (downriver Detroit, southwest Detroit, central Saginaw) and historic redlining areas.

• Find your census tract's health profile at https://www.cdc.gov/places/
• If you live in a high-asthma area, ask your doctor about an asthma action plan and free MDHHS home-visit programs.
• EPA EJScreen maps cumulative environmental risk on top of this data: https://www.epa.gov/ejscreen
• Detroit residents: free indoor air-quality assessments are available via the Detroit Health Department.