Raleigh Water publishes an annual water quality report covering everything it serves across Raleigh, Garner, Knightdale, and Wake Forest. Most homeowners never read it — so here's the plain-English version.
Wake County water typically tests 60–120 ppm as CaCO3 ("moderately hard"). That's enough to leave spots on glassware and slowly build sediment in water heaters over years. Not dangerous — just expensive for your appliances.
Raleigh uses chloramine for disinfection, which is more stable than chlorine but doesn't evaporate as easily. If your tap water tastes or smells "pool-like," a simple activated-carbon pitcher or faucet filter removes the vast majority.
The treatment plants don't add lead, but homes built before the mid-1980s can have lead solder or service lines. If you're in an older Raleigh or Garner home, a $15 lead test kit or a free lab test through the county settles the question.
Wake County tap water is safe and well-treated. The practical moves: carbon filter for taste, annual water heater flush for hardness sediment, and a lead test if your home predates 1985.
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