Is Tuscaloosa, AL tap water safe?
Supplied by Tuscaloosa Water & Sewer · serves 166,524 people (55,508 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID AL0001313
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Tuscaloosa gets its water from Tuscaloosa Water & Sewer. Parts of the city are served by 3 smaller systems: Mitchell Water System Inc (8,730 people), Englewood-Hulls Water System, Inc. (7,077 people), Fosters-Ralph Water Authority (6,015 people). Your water bill names your system.
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 level0 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 Jan 2024 – now, still in progress (results reported so far). Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved2 health-based violations since 2016, most recently Aug 2023. One required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Aug 2023. What to do if you get a notice.
- 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.
- Got a boil-water or do-not-drink notice? What each notice means and what to do.
- 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 Tuscaloosa Water & Sewer's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report). It lists every regulated contaminant tested and is usually on the utility's website or mailed with your bill, and you can also request it at (205) 248-5366. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 2 entry points tested Nov 2023 to Aug 2024. "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: 0 ppb lead (Jan 2024 – now (in progress)). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 5 ppb (Dec 2017).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2024 – now (in progress) | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2023 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2022 – Dec 2022 | 0 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2021 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2020 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Jun 2019 | 0 ppb |
| Jul 2018 – Dec 2018 | 0 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 |
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2013 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Aug 2023 | The water was cloudier than allowed at least once. Cloudiness can shield germs from disinfection. Urgent public notice required What that means EPA record: Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule · Single Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) · measured 1.15 ntu (limit ) Resolved |
| Jan 2022 | The running annual average for Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) was above the legal limit. EPA record: Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · measured 0.061 mg/l (limit 0.060 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 | 2.44 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.06 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 0.028 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chlorate | 1,000 ppb | 210 ppb |
Where it serves
Tuscaloosa
26 ZIP codes the system reported serving
35111, 35184, 35401, 35402, 35403, 35404, 35405, 35406, 35440, 35444, 35446, 35452, 35453, 35456, 35463, 35469, 35473, 35474, 35475, 35476, 35478, 35480, 35486, 35487, 35490, 35546
Nearby utilities
- Bessemer Water Service Bessemer · 33 mi
- City of Alabaster Water Department Alabaster · 39 mi · PFAS above limit
- Montevallo Water Works & Sewer Board Montevallo · 40 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Pelham Pelham · 46 mi · PFAS above limit
- Central Alabama Water Birmingham · 47 mi
- Shelby County Commission-Water Services Columbiana · 53 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Tuscaloosa tap water safe to drink?
Most of Tuscaloosa gets its water from Tuscaloosa Water & Sewer. Tuscaloosa Water & Sewer had 2 health-based violations 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 Tuscaloosa water have PFAS?
EPA tested Tuscaloosa Water & Sewer for 29 PFAS between Nov 2023 and Aug 2024 and none were detected above the reporting limits (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical).
What is the lead level in Tuscaloosa water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Tuscaloosa Water & Sewer is 0 ppb, for the monitoring period that began Jan 2024 (still in progress). 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 AL0001313: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID AL0001313).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Tuscaloosa Water & Sewer at (205) 248-5366, or see EPA's guide to finding it.
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.