Masonboro Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Masonboro, North Carolina, in New Hanover County — an unincorporated New Hanover County community adjacent to Wilmington and Carolina Beach on the southeast North Carolina coast — receives its water from the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA), drawing from the Cape Fear River (New Hanover County) through the southeast North Carolina distribution.

The moderately hard 153 mg/L hardness and TDS of 375.5 mg/L reflect the southeast North Carolina Cape Fear River supply's moderate calcareous coastal plain character — harder than the inland Piedmont communities (Henderson: ~115 mg/L) due to the Cape Fear River's calcareous coastal plain crossing. The Cape Fear River at New Hanover County drains the North Carolina Piedmont and crosses the Coastal Plain — Cretaceous Black Creek Formation (slightly calcareous — secondary contributor), Triassic Deep River Basin (calcareous), and Precambrian Carolina Slate Belt (slightly calcareous). The coastal plain calcareous input produces the moderately hard southeast North Carolina supply.

At 153 mg/L, Masonboro's water is moderately hard — scale builds in kettles and appliances over months, dishwashers benefit from rinse aid, and faucet aerators need periodic cleaning. Quarterly descaling is appropriate. The PFAS level of 7.9 ppt warrants a certified reverse osmosis drinking water filter — Chemours Fayetteville Works (Cumberland County — PFAS manufacturer on the Cape Fear River, the dominant southeast North Carolina PFAS source, and the source of PFAS contamination in the Cape Fear watershed directly) contributes to Masonboro's elevated readings.