Rhode Island tap water quality

88 community water systems serving 1.1 million people.

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

systems with PFAS above a federal limit

207,864

people served by them

systems EPA tested for PFAS

systems above the lead action level

PFAS: EPA's 2023–2025 testing. Lead: results from the last five years. 10 more systems have no recent lead results in EPA's database.

Water systems with PFAS above the federal limit

Based on EPA's UCMR 5 results (2023–2025) compared to the April 2024 limits, the way EPA compares them. Systems have until 2029 to comply. Largest first.

Rhode Island PFAS report: chart, rankings and data to download →

Rhode Island's own PFAS limits

Rhode Island enforces its own drinking water limits for PFAS (effective: 2022-06 (interim, by statute), 2024-09-18 (final MCL rule)): the sum of PFOA + PFOS + PFHxS + PFNA + PFHpA + PFDA at 20 ppt. The federal limits are 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS.

'PFAS6' MCL. Results >70 ppt require a do-not-drink notice within 24 hours. RIDOH must adopt federal-equivalent rules by 2028-04-26.

Source: RIDOH: PFAS in drinking water, checked 2026-11-14. Utility pages compare each system's EPA results with these limits. State compliance is judged on the state's own sampling.

Largest water systems in Rhode Island

City of Providence
333,142 people · Surface water · Rhode Island
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) violation
Pawtucket Water Supply Board Veolia-Na
98,130 people · Surface water · Rhode Island
No PFAS above limits
Kent County Water Authority
94,107 people · Purchased surface water · Rhode Island
PFOA above limit
City of Warwick
73,289 people · Purchased surface water · Rhode Island
No PFAS above limits
Bristol County Water Authority
49,000 people · Purchased surface water · Rhode Island
No PFAS above limits
City of East Providence
47,961 people · Purchased surface water · Rhode Island
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) violations
Woonsocket Water Division
45,828 people · Surface water · Rhode Island
PFOA detectedAlso: 1 health-based violation since 2016
City of Newport
42,155 people · Surface water · Rhode Island
No PFAS above limits
Westerly Water Department
35,298 people · Groundwater · Rhode Island
PFOA above limitAlso: PFOS above limit
Town of North Kingstown
27,732 people · Groundwater · Rhode Island
PFOA above limitAlso: PFOS above limit · PFHxS detected
Lincoln Water Commission
21,664 people · Purchased surface water · Rhode Island
No PFAS above limits
Town of Cumberland
21,235 people · Purchased surface water · Rhode Island
PFOA above limitAlso: PFOS above limit
Veolia Water Wakefield Rhode Island Inc
21,225 people · Groundwater · Rhode Island
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) violationsAlso: Coliform bacteria violation
University of Rhode Island Water System
19,354 people · Groundwater · Rhode Island
PFOA above limitAlso: PFOS above limit · PFHxS detected · PFNA detected
Portsmouth Water & Fire District
17,090 people · Purchased surface water · Rhode Island
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) violations

Rhode Island cities and towns

Most health-based violations since 2016

Narragansett Water System – Point Judith
8,210 people · Purchased groundwater · Rhode Island
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) violations
Canonchet Cliffs Water Association Inc.
154 people · Groundwater · Rhode Island
Radium (combined 226/228) violationsAlso: Coliform bacteria violations
Foster Senior Housing Inc.
31 people · Groundwater · Rhode Island
Coliform bacteria violations
Narragansett Water Dept-North End
4,432 people · Purchased groundwater · Rhode Island
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) violationsAlso: PFOA detected · PFOS detected
Veolia Water Wakefield Rhode Island Inc
21,225 people · Groundwater · Rhode Island
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) violationsAlso: Coliform bacteria violation
Lindhbrook Water Company
200 people · Groundwater · Rhode Island
Not in EPA's PFAS sampleAlso: 5 health-based violations since 2016
Slatersville Public Supply
3,403 people · Purchased surface water · Rhode Island
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) violations
Cne – New London Turnpike Entry Point Water System
9,999 people · Purchased groundwater · Rhode Island
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) violationsAlso: Coliform bacteria violation
Portsmouth Water & Fire District
17,090 people · Purchased surface water · Rhode Island
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) violations
Hillsdale Housing Cooperative, Inc.
170 people · Groundwater · Rhode Island
Gross alpha violations
Smithfield Water Supply Board
9,460 people · Purchased surface water · Rhode Island
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) violations
City of East Providence
47,961 people · Purchased surface water · Rhode Island
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) violations
Town of Richmond
2,671 people · Groundwater · Rhode Island
Coliform bacteria violation
Jamestown Water Department
3,348 people · Surface water · Rhode Island
No PFAS above limitsAlso: 2 health-based violations since 2016
Prudence Island Water District
1,500 people · Groundwater · Rhode Island
Coliform bacteria violations

All Rhode Island utilities on this site

Every Rhode Island system serving 50,000+ people or with PFAS above a federal limit, A to Z. Download all 88 systems as CSV.

Questions

Does Rhode Island tap water have PFAS?

EPA tested 26 community water systems in Rhode Island for 29 PFAS between 2023 and 2025. 10 had at least one regulated PFAS detected, and 7 had an entry-point average above a 2024 federal limit. Those 7 systems serve about 207,864 people (20% of people on community water in Rhode Island). Systems have until 2029 to meet the limits.

How many Rhode Island water systems have violations?

29 systems in Rhode Island had at least one health-based violation since 2016 (94 violations in total). 43 violations are currently listed as unaddressed.

Which Rhode Island water systems are over the lead action level?

6 systems had a lead 90th percentile above the 15 ppb action level in their most recent results from the last five years. Another 10 systems have no lead results in EPA's database from the last five years. Lead depends on each home's pipes, so a test of your own tap is the only way to know your level.

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