Matthews Water Treatment
Water Treatment for Matthews, NC Homes
Matthews sits in the southeast corner of the county, a long way from Charlotte Water's plants. Here is what the utility's 2025 report says about chlorine and disinfection byproducts, the numbers that matter most after a long trip through the pipes, and what a free in-home test adds.
Is Matthews, NC tap water safe to drink?
Yes, by federal standards. Matthews is served by Charlotte Water (NC0160010), which reported zero violations for 2025 and disinfects with chlorine. Matthews is in the southeastern corner of Mecklenburg County, and the utility's three treatment plants are all to the north and west, so the byproduct numbers are the ones worth reading: the highest yearly average at any test site was 63.7 ppb for TTHM (80 ppb limit) and 22.9 ppb for HAA5 (60 ppb limit). Hardness averages 32 ppm, which is soft. Most Matthews homes need a chlorine and byproduct conversation, not a softener.
Matthews: byproducts and the housing behind them
Disinfection byproduct figures are from Charlotte Water's 2025 Consumer Confidence Report, reported by monitoring site. Housing figures are Census Bureau 2019 to 2023 estimates for the town.
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) | 63.7 ppb (highest yearly average) | Highest yearly average at any test site; samples ranged 17.2 to 77.4 ppb; federal limit 80 ppb |
|---|---|---|
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5) | 22.9 ppb (highest yearly average) | Highest yearly average at any test site; samples ranged 10.4 to 24.5 ppb; federal limit 60 ppb |
| Distribution system | 4,664 miles of pipe | Three plants, all north and west of Matthews |
| Town incorporated | 1879 | Downtown commercial district on the National Register since 1996 |
| Typical home built | 1993 (median) | Census ACS 2019 to 2023; 63.2% detached single-family |
| Renter households | 34.5% | 17.7% of units are in buildings of 20 or more units |
Matthews is a long way down Charlotte Water's pipes
Matthews' own water system (NC0160035) is inactive in EPA's records, and Charlotte Water (system NC0160010) serves the town. All three Charlotte Water treatment plants, Franklin, Vest and Dukes, are on the north and west side of the county, so water reaching Matthews has traveled through a share of the utility's 4,664 miles of pipe. Chlorine keeps the water disinfected over that distance, and chlorine is also what produces disinfection byproducts. The 2025 report lists total trihalomethanes (TTHM) at 63.7 ppb, the highest yearly average at any test site (individual samples ranged from 17.2 to 77.4 ppb), under the 80 ppb limit, and haloacetic acids (HAA5) at 22.9 ppb, the highest yearly average at any test site, under the 60 ppb limit. Both are compliant. TTHM is the regulated number with the least headroom.
Railroad town, 1990s suburb
A railroad stop opened in 1874 gave Matthews its name, and the town was incorporated in 1879. Ten downtown buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. Around that core, the Census Bureau's 2019 to 2023 estimates describe a town of about 30,000 where the median home was built in 1993, 63.2 percent of homes are detached single-family houses, and 34.5 percent of households rent. A house from that era was built after the 1986 federal ban on lead solder in drinking water plumbing, which makes solder a less likely lead source but is no guarantee, so it is a question the free in-home visit can raise rather than assume.
Matthews is part of the wider Charlotte metro HydroSmart serves. See the full water treatment charlotte nc page.
- Next town east, also a long way from the plants: water treatment mint hill nc
- Just across the Union County line, where the source is less certain: water treatment indian trail nc
The local contaminants most likely to get attention in Matthews
TTHM: the regulated number closest to its limit
Charlotte Water's highest yearly average at any test site for total trihalomethanes was 63.7 ppb (individual samples ranged from 17.2 to 77.4 ppb), under the federal limit of 80 ppb. The utility reports byproducts by monitoring site, not by town, so no published figure is specific to Matthews.
HAA5: well under its limit
Haloacetic acids, the other family of chlorine byproducts, had a highest yearly average of 22.9 ppb at any test site (individual samples ranged from 10.4 to 24.5 ppb), under the 60 ppb limit. Both families form when chlorine meets natural organic matter and keep forming as water ages in the pipes.
What a free Matthews in-home test measures
The chlorine reading is the one most relevant to the byproduct question, because chlorine is what the byproducts come from.
- Hardness (calcium and magnesium)
- pH
- Chlorine
- Iron
- Total dissolved solids (TDS)
- Nitrates
Results are explained the same day. TTHM, HAA5 and PFAS need a certified lab; the numbers for them on this page are Charlotte Water's.
How HydroSmart approaches Matthews
Whole-home carbon aimed at chlorine and byproducts
For a town this far from the plants, catalytic or activated carbon at the point of entry is the standard in-home step for chlorine taste and disinfection byproducts, at every tap and shower.
See whole-home options →Drinking-water reverse osmosis
Matthews has a sizable rental and apartment share, so a kitchen-tap system is often the practical way to treat drinking water without changing a building's plumbing.
See drinking-water systems →Chosen after testing your own tap
Byproducts need a certified lab and the in-home test does not measure them, so HydroSmart starts with chlorine, hardness and the rest of what the visit does measure, then recommends from there.
Explore filtration options →Areas we support around Matthews
Matthews · Downtown Matthews · Squirrel Lake Park area · Matthews Sportsplex area
Matthews water treatment FAQ
Is Matthews, NC tap water safe to drink?
By federal standards, yes. Charlotte Water reported zero drinking water violations for 2025. Its closest-to-limit number was TTHM: the highest yearly average at any test site was 63.7 ppb, under the 80 ppb limit.
Why do disinfection byproducts matter more in a town far from the plants?
Byproducts keep forming while treated water sits in pipes, so older water at the edge of a large system can carry more of them. Charlotte Water monitors by site rather than by town, so the report cannot say what a specific Matthews address gets.
Does Matthews have its own water system?
Not anymore. Matthews' system (NC0160035) is listed as inactive by EPA, and Charlotte Water (NC0160010) serves the town.
Where do the older downtown Matthews buildings get their water?
From the same Charlotte Water system. Matthews was incorporated in 1879 and its downtown commercial district has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1996, but the water supply there is the same municipal one as the newer neighborhoods.
Does the free in-home test measure disinfection byproducts?
No. It covers hardness, pH, chlorine, iron, total dissolved solids and nitrates. Byproducts need a certified lab, so the TTHM and HAA5 numbers on this page are Charlotte Water's own.
Sources
- Charlotte Water, 2025 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report (Consumer Confidence Report). TTHM, HAA5, violations, disinfectant.
- Charlotte Water, About Us. Towns served and treatment plant locations.
- Town of Matthews, Our History. Railroad arrival in 1874, incorporation in 1879, National Register district in 1996.
- U.S. EPA, Basic Information about Lead in Drinking Water. The 1986 lead ban and where lead in tap water comes from.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Matthews town profile (ACS 2019 to 2023). Median year built, housing type, renter share.