Waxhaw Water Treatment
Water Treatment for Waxhaw, NC Homes
Waxhaw's county water comes from the Catawba River, and the report behind it describes soft, chloraminated water. Here are the 2025 numbers, the 1930s mains under downtown that the county is replacing, and what to test if a house is on a well.
Is Waxhaw, NC water hard, and what is in it?
Waxhaw's county water is soft. The Catawba River plant that supplies the area reported hardness averaging 26 ppm, or 1.5 grains per gallon, with a range of 21 to 32 ppm, in the table published for 2025 testing. The pH ran from 6.94 to 7.42, and chloramines, added for final disinfection, averaged 2.22 ppm against a 4 ppm limit. Disinfection byproducts were 28.75 ppb for TTHM and 14.75 ppb for HAA5 in the county's table, under the 80 and 60 ppb limits. Union County Water lists Waxhaw among its service addresses and its map shows the area as Catawba plant territory, but some county properties use private wells, where none of these numbers apply and iron, manganese and arsenic are the usual questions. A free in-home test and your bill show which situation a Waxhaw house is in.
Waxhaw: the Catawba plant's numbers and the housing around them
Hardness, pH and dissolved solids come from the Catawba River Water Supply Project table printed in Union County Water's report on 2025 testing. Disinfectant figures are from the county's own table. Housing figures are Census Bureau 2019 to 2023 estimates for the town.
| Total hardness | 26 ppm average (about 1.5 gpg) | Range 21 to 32 ppm, highest 1.9 gpg; soft water |
|---|---|---|
| pH | 6.94 to 7.42 | The plant adds caustic soda for pH and orthophosphate as a corrosion inhibitor |
| Total dissolved solids | 149 ppm average | Range 116 to 168 ppm; sodium 13 ppm |
| Chloramines | 2.22 ppm (running annual average) | Range 1 to 3.7 ppm; limit 4 ppm |
| Chlorine | 0.48 ppm (running annual average) | Range 0 to 2.19 ppm; limit 4 ppm |
| Fluoride | 0.54 ppm | Added at the Catawba plant; the county's Yadkin plant does not add it |
| Median home value | $506,300 | 88.5% detached; 82.2% owner-occupied; 6,846 housing units |
| Homes built since 2010 | 46.1% | 33.0% built 2000 to 2009; 7.5% built before 1980 |
| Downtown water mains | About 8,000 linear feet | 1930s cast iron being replaced; work began September 29, 2025, expected done October 2026 |
Catawba River water, chloramine and the mains under downtown Waxhaw
Union County Water lists Waxhaw among the addresses it serves, and its service-area map shows the Waxhaw area as Catawba River plant territory. That plant, the Catawba River Water Supply Project in Van Wyck, South Carolina, settles river water in two reservoirs, filters it with membranes and conventional media, and finishes with chloramines, caustic soda for pH, fluoride and orthophosphate as a corrosion inhibitor. The plant's 2025 table puts hardness at 21 to 32 ppm, an average of 26 ppm or 1.5 grains per gallon, which is soft water. The county's own table lists chloramines at a running annual average of 2.22 ppm. Under downtown, Union County Water began replacing about 8,000 linear feet of 1930s cast-iron water mains in September 2025. Across Union County, some areas are not on any public system and depend on wells and septic tanks, so the first step for any Waxhaw address is confirming which kind it is.
Waxhaw: a fast-grown town with a 1930s water grid downtown
Waxhaw grew from 2,625 residents in 2000 to 9,859 in 2010, according to the state's groundwater assessment, and the Census Bureau's 2019 to 2023 estimates count about 21,565. The housing shows it: 39.0 percent of homes were built from 2010 to 2019 and another 7.1 percent since 2020, 88.5 percent are detached houses, 82.2 percent of households own, and the median home value is $506,300. Downtown is older. The Town of Waxhaw says Union County Water is replacing cast-iron mains from the 1930s there. Brand-new houses and 1930s street mains draw on the same public supply, so the visit measures what actually arrives at your own tap.
Waxhaw is part of the wider Charlotte metro HydroSmart serves. See the full water treatment charlotte nc page.
- Also Union County Water, but fed by two plants rather than one: water treatment indian trail nc
- North of Waxhaw, a Charlotte neighborhood on Charlotte Water: water treatment ballantyne nc
What a free Waxhaw in-home test measures
The visit starts with the water bill, which shows whether the house is on Union County Water or a private well. On a well, the list adds sulfur and bacteria.
- Hardness (calcium and magnesium)
- pH and corrosivity
- Chlorine and chloramine levels
- Iron and manganese
- Total dissolved solids (TDS)
- Nitrates and nitrites
- Sulfur / hydrogen sulfide
- Bacteria and coliform (well water)
Results are explained the same day. Arsenic, lead, PFAS and disinfection byproducts are outside what the in-home test measures, so they go to a certified lab.
How HydroSmart approaches Waxhaw
Chloramine-aware carbon filtration
County water here carries chloramines, not just free chlorine, and the plant reports it as its final disinfectant. The visit checks which disinfectant is in your tap so the whole-home carbon system is chosen for the water you actually have.
See whole-home options →Reverse osmosis for drinking water
With soft water at 26 ppm average hardness, a softener is rarely the first purchase on county water. A reverse-osmosis system at the kitchen tap covers drinking and cooking water instead.
See drinking-water systems →Well water treatment, sized to a lab panel
On a Waxhaw-area well, Union County Environmental Health says iron and manganese levels affect which treatment fits, so a full inorganic panel comes first. Iron and sulfur removal, softening and filtration are then matched to those results.
Explore well-water treatment →Areas we support around Waxhaw
Waxhaw · Historic Downtown Waxhaw · Cane Creek Park area · Marvin Road corridor
Waxhaw water treatment FAQ
Who supplies Waxhaw's tap water?
Union County Water lists Waxhaw among the addresses it serves, and the Town of Waxhaw's downtown water project page names Union County Water as the owner of the public water and sewer lines. Customer care is 704-296-4210. Some Union County properties are not on any public water system and use wells, so a bill from Union County Water is the quickest way to tell which a given house has.
Does Waxhaw water contain chloramine?
Yes. Union County Water's report on 2025 testing lists chloramines at a running annual average of 2.22 ppm, with a range of 1 to 3.7 ppm, and chlorine at 0.48 ppm, against a 4 ppm limit for each. The Catawba River plant says it adds chloramines for final disinfection. The free in-home test reads both chlorine and chloramine at the tap.
Is Waxhaw water hard?
No. The Catawba River plant reported hardness averaging 26 ppm in 2025, about 1.5 grains per gallon, within a range of 21 to 32 ppm. The report calls water soft below 70 ppm. A well can differ, because groundwater picks up minerals from rock, so a well needs its own test.
What is the water main work in downtown Waxhaw?
Union County Water began replacing about 8,000 linear feet of 2-inch, 6-inch, 8-inch and 12-inch cast-iron mains installed in the 1930s on September 29, 2025, with completion expected by October 2026, according to the Town of Waxhaw. It is a project on public mains. The pipes inside a house belong to the owner, so plumbing age and a lab test answer the lead question, not the main.
My Waxhaw house is on a well. What should I test for?
Union County Environmental Health says arsenic cannot be seen, smelled or tasted, and that the Carolina Slate Belt, about two thirds of the county, has more arsenic wells than other regions. It lists a $70 bacterial sample and a $130 inorganic sample in its fee schedule, and advises a full inorganic panel before choosing treatment. HydroSmart's visit adds hardness, pH, iron, manganese, sulfur and bacteria checks on site.
How are wells permitted and built around Waxhaw?
Union County Environmental Health issues well permits for $500. State well rule 15A NCAC 02C .0117 requires casing to at least 35 feet in most of the county. The state's 2015 assessment recorded 2,427 residential wells drilled in Union County from 1982 to February 2015 with a median depth of 225 feet, and roughly 30 percent of county residents drank from private wells in 2005.
Sources
- Union County Water, 2026 Annual Water Quality Report (Consumer Confidence Report, 2025 testing). Chlorine and chloramine residuals, TTHM and HAA5, and the Catawba River Water Supply Project treatment description and table (hardness, pH, TDS, fluoride).
- Union County Water, Apply for Service. Waxhaw among the addresses served; some areas depend on wells and septic systems.
- Union County Water, Fluoride and plant service-area maps. Which plant typically serves which area; the Yadkin plant does not add fluoride.
- Town of Waxhaw, Downtown Water Project. About 8,000 linear feet of 1930s cast-iron mains, start date and expected completion.
- Town of Waxhaw, Union County Water to Replace Water Mains in Downtown Waxhaw. September 26, 2025 notice naming the affected streets and Union County Water as the owner.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Waxhaw town profile (ACS 2019 to 2023). Year built, housing type, homeownership, median home value, population.
- Union County Environmental Health, Wells and Water Testing. Arsenic and the Carolina Slate Belt (about two thirds of the county); advice to run a full inorganic panel before choosing treatment.
- Union County Environmental Health, fee schedule. Well permit $500, bacterial sample $70, inorganic sample $130.
- N.C. Division of Water Resources, Union County Groundwater Assessment (2015). 2000 and 2010 town populations, the 35-foot casing rule, residential well depths, and 2005 private well use.