Is Mobile, AL tap water safe?
Supplied by Mobile Board of Water & Sewer Commission · serves 279,000 people (93,000 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID AL0001005
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Buys water from South Alabama Utilities Water System, Saraland, Board of Water & Sewer Commissioners, Mobile County Water & Fire Protection Authority. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Not detectedNone of 29 PFAS found above EPA's reporting limits in 8 samples (2023–2025).
- Lead
- Below action level1.5 ppb (parts per billion) at the 90th percentile: 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below it. Action level 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in Nov 2027. Monitoring period ending Dec 2025. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved1 health-based violation since 2016, most recently Jul 2023.
- Built before 1986, or not sure what your service line is made of? Check your service line and test your tap. Utility data can't show your pipes.
- Want to reduce what was found? Filters for these results.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read Mobile Board of Water & Sewer Commission's 2026 water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (251) 694-9149.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 2 entry points tested Nov 2024 to Aug 2025. "Average" is the highest entry-point average (non-detects counted as zero), the way EPA compares UCMR 5 results to the limits. ppt = parts per trillion. These results do not determine compliance.
| Contaminant | Highest average |
|---|---|
| PFOA Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFOS Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFHxS Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| PFNA Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Not detected Limit 1 | – |
| PFBS Not detected Guideline 2,000 ppt | – |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Not detected Guideline 3,000 ppt | – |
29 PFAS tested, 0 detected at least once. "Not detected" means below EPA's reporting limit (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical), not proven zero. PFAS not listed were not detected. The limits for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and the Hazard Index were proposed for rescission in May 2026. That proposal is not final. Systems have until 2029 to meet the limits.
Lithium
Not detected in 8 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 1.5 ppb lead (Jan 2025 – Dec 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 6.5 ppb (Dec 2024).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2025 – Dec 2025 | 1.5 ppb |
| Jan 2024 – Dec 2024 | 6.5 ppb |
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2023 | 3.8 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2022 – Dec 2022 | 1.2 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2021 | 0.5 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2020 | 1.05 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2019 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2018 – Dec 2018 | 1.2 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2017 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2016 – Dec 2016 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2015 – Dec 2015 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2014 | 5 ppb |
Lead comes from pipes and fixtures, not the source water, so it varies home to home. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 sampled homes were at or below it. More on lead.
Violations
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Jul 2023 | The running annual average for TTHM was above the legal limit. EPA record: TTHM · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · measured 0.081 mg/l (limit 0.080 mg/L) Resolved |
Health-based violations mean a contaminant exceeded a limit or a required treatment step was missed. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or reports were late or missing, so the water's quality during that time is unknown. The total includes every violation in EPA's records, most of them paperwork.
Earlier EPA testing (2013–2020)
| Contaminant | Highest | Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Manganese | 1.66 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.07 ppb | – |
| Chlorate | 170 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.091 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Vanadium | 0.6 ppb | 21 ppb |
Where it serves
Mobile
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 36575, 36582, 36602, 36603, 36604, 36605, 36606, 36607, 36608, 36609, 36610, 36612, 36615, 36617, 36618, 36619, 36652, 36693, 36695
Nearby utilities
- City of Fairhope Fairhope · 17 mi · PFAS above limit
- Grand Bay Water Works Board Grand Bay · 20 mi · PFAS above limit
- North Baldwin Utilities Bay Minette · 24 mi · PFAS above limit
- Foley Utilities Board Foley · 32 mi
- Jackson Water Works & Sewer Board Jackson · 61 mi · PFAS above limit
- Grove Hill Water Works Grove Hill · 74 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Mobile tap water safe to drink?
Most of Mobile gets its water from Mobile Board of Water & Sewer Commission. Mobile Board of Water & Sewer Commission had 1 health-based violation since 2016, all since resolved. EPA testing found no PFAS above the federal limits. Federal data can't tell you about your own pipes: lead comes from service lines and plumbing, so test your tap if your home was built before 1986. For the official word, read the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Does Mobile water have PFAS?
EPA tested Mobile Board of Water & Sewer Commission for 29 PFAS between Nov 2024 and Aug 2025 and none were detected above the reporting limits (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical).
What is the lead level in Mobile water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Mobile Board of Water & Sewer Commission is 1.5 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2025. The federal action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in November 2027. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below this number. Individual homes can be higher.
Check these numbers yourself
Every figure on this page comes from public EPA records. You don't have to take our word for it:
- EPA's own report for AL0001005: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID AL0001005).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- Mobile Board of Water & Sewer Commission's 2026 water quality report: the utility's own annual report, including contaminants EPA's national database doesn't carry (link checked Nov 14, 2026). Phone: (251) 694-9149.
- Mobile Board of Water & Sewer Commission website
Found something that doesn't match? Tell us and we'll check it against EPA's records. How we check our data.
Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.