Is Warwick, RI tap water safe?

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

Kent County Water Authority, the largest system here, had PFAS above the 2024 federal limits (PFOA) 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 Warwick. The largest, Kent County Water Authority, serves 94,107 people, and one system here had PFAS above a federal limit. Your water bill names your system.

Largest system

Kent County Water Authority

94,107 people · Purchased surface water · EPA ID RI1559511

Buys treated water from City of Providence, City of Warwick.

PFAS	Highest average	Limit	Status
PFOA Above limit	7.1 ppt	4 ppt	Above limit
PFOS Not detected	–	4 ppt	Not detected
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 PFOA average is higher than at 84% of the Rhode Island systems EPA tested.

Lead: 2.1 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 Kent County Water Authority results

Across Rhode Island, 7 of 26 water systems EPA tested had PFAS above a 2024 federal limit, and 6 systems were above the lead action level in results from the last five years. Rhode Island results.

Warwick homes and lead pipes

77%

of homes built before 1980 (Rhode Island 71%, US 50%)

29%

built before 1950 (Rhode Island 36%)

27%

of households rent (Rhode Island 36%)

Lead service lines and lead solder were allowed until 1986, so homes from before then are the ones to check. How to check your own line.

Housing: Census American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for Warwick 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 Warwick
City of Warwick 73,289 people	02888, 02889
Kent County Water Authority 94,107 people	02886

Other water systems serving Warwick

City of Warwick
73,289 people · Purchased surface water · Rhode Island · lists this city
No PFAS above limits
Warwick-Potowomut Water System
2,163 people · Purchased surface water · Rhode Island · lists this city
Not in EPA's PFAS sample

How nearby cities compare

City	Main water system	PFAS	Lead (90th pct.)
West Warwick 5 mi Kent County Water Authority	Kent County Water Authority	Above limit	2.1 ppb
Cranston 6 mi City of Providence	City of Providence	None above limits	1.7 ppb
East Providence 7 mi City of East Providence	City of East Providence	None above limits	0.3 ppb
Providence 8 mi City of Providence	City of Providence	None above limits	1.7 ppb
North Kingstown 9 mi Kent County Water Authority	Kent County Water Authority	Above limit	2.1 ppb
Johnston 10 mi City of Providence	City of Providence	None above limits	1.7 ppb

Questions

Is Warwick tap water safe to drink?

Kent County Water Authority 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 Warwick, RI?

3 public water systems serve parts of Warwick. The largest is Kent County Water Authority (94,107 people). Your water bill names your system. The EPA ID is also on your utility's Consumer Confidence Report.

Does Warwick tap water have PFAS?

Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing found entry-point averages above the 2024 federal limits for PFOA at Kent County Water Authority. Systems have until 2029 to meet them.

Do Warwick homes have lead pipes?

Census estimates put 77% of Warwick homes as built before 1980 (Rhode Island: 71%). Lead service lines and lead solder were allowed until 1986, so older homes are more likely to have them. Kent County Water Authority'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.