Is Huntsville, AL tap water safe?

Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it

Huntsville Utilities Water Dept., the largest system here, had PFAS above the 2024 federal limits (PFOS) in EPA's 2023–2025 testing.

Is it an emergency? No: PFAS limits are about years of exposure, not a glass of water, and nothing in EPA's data calls for you to stop drinking the water today. If your utility issues a boil-water or do-not-drink notice, follow it.

3 public water systems serve parts of Huntsville. The largest, Huntsville Utilities Water Dept., serves 310,107 people, and one system here had PFAS above a federal limit. Your water bill names your system.

Largest system

Huntsville Utilities Water Dept.

310,107 people · Surface water · EPA ID AL0000882

Buys treated water from Limestone County Water & Sewer Authority.

PFAS	Highest average	Limit	Status
PFOA One sample above limit	2.35 ppt	4 ppt	One sample above limit
PFOS Above limit	7.7 ppt	4 ppt	Above limit
PFHxS Not detected	–	10 ppt	Not detected
PFNA Not detected	–	10 ppt	Not detected
HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected	–	10 ppt	Not detected

ppt = parts per trillion. "Highest average" is the highest average at any of the system's entry points, the way EPA compares results with the limits.

For context: the PFOS average is higher than at 88% of the Alabama systems EPA tested.

Lead: 0 ppb at the 90th percentile (Nov 2026, and 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below it) Below action level
Health-based violations since 2016: 0

Full Huntsville Utilities Water Dept. results

Across Alabama, 56 of 307 water systems EPA tested had PFAS above a 2024 federal limit, and 0 systems were above the lead action level in results from the last five years. Alabama results.

Huntsville homes and lead pipes

44%

of homes built before 1980 (Alabama 42%, US 50%)

built before 1950 (Alabama 8%)

42%

of households rent (Alabama 30%)

Lead service lines and lead solder were allowed until 1986, so homes from before then are the ones to check. Renting? Ask your landlord what the service line is made of, because it's their pipe to replace. How to check your own line.

Housing: Census American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for Huntsville city (tables B25034, B25003). Estimates for small places have a margin of error.

Which system serves your ZIP code

Based on the ZIP codes each system reported serving. Boundaries don't follow ZIP lines exactly, so your water bill is the final word.

System	ZIP codes in Huntsville
Huntsville Utilities Water Dept. 310,107 people	35756, 35757, 35801, 35802, 35803, 35805, 35806, 35810, 35811, 35816, 35824, 35896
Madison County Water Department 119,100 people	35741, 35763

Other water systems serving Huntsville

Madison County Water Department
119,100 people · Purchased surface water · Alabama · lists this city
PFOS detected
Owens Crossroads Water Authority
13,569 people · Groundwater · Alabama · reported ZIPs here
No PFAS above limits

How nearby cities compare

City	Main water system	PFAS	Lead (90th pct.)
Madison 14 mi Madison W & Water Works Board	Madison W & Water Works Board	None above limits	0.55 ppb
Athens 24 mi Limestone County Water & Sewer Authority	Limestone County Water & Sewer Authority	None above limits	0.92 ppb
Decatur 30 mi Decatur Municipal Utilities Board	Decatur Municipal Utilities Board	None above limits	0 ppb
Gadsden 61 mi Gadsden Water Works & Sewer Board	Gadsden Water Works & Sewer Board	Above limit	2.5 ppb
Florence 64 mi City of Florence Water Department	City of Florence Water Department	Above limit	3.4 ppb
Trussville 78 mi Trussville Utilities Board	Trussville Utilities Board	None above limits	0 ppb

Questions

Is Huntsville tap water safe to drink?

Huntsville Utilities Water Dept. has had no health-based violations since 2016, and EPA testing found PFAS above the 2024 federal limits, which it must meet by 2029. Utility data can't show lead from your own pipes: if your home was built before 1986, test your tap. Your utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report is the official summary.

Who supplies water in Huntsville, AL?

3 public water systems serve parts of Huntsville. The largest is Huntsville Utilities Water Dept. (310,107 people). Your water bill names your system. The EPA ID is also on your utility's Consumer Confidence Report.

Does Huntsville tap water have PFAS?

Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing found entry-point averages above the 2024 federal limits for PFOS at Huntsville Utilities Water Dept.. Systems have until 2029 to meet them.

Do Huntsville homes have lead pipes?

Census estimates put 44% of Huntsville homes as built before 1980 (Alabama: 42%). Lead service lines and lead solder were allowed until 1986, so older homes are more likely to have them. Huntsville Utilities Water Dept.'s service line inventory says what your line is made of. The only way to know for your home is to check the line where it enters the house and test your tap.

Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.