Is Hartford, CT tap water safe?
Supplied by Metropolitan District Commission · serves 390,887 people (101,735 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID CT0640011
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Buys water from Connecticut Water Company – Unionville System, New Britain Water Department, Connecticut Water Company – Northern Region – Western System. 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 12 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 2026 – now, still in progress (results reported so far). Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- None health-basedNo health-based violations since 2016.
- 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.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read Metropolitan District 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: (860) 278-7850.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 3 entry points tested Jan 2023 to Oct 2023. "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 12 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 0 ppb lead (Jan 2026 – now (in progress)). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 8 ppb (Dec 2019).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2026 – now (in progress) | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2025 – Dec 2025 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2024 – Dec 2024 | 0 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2023 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2023 | 6.69 ppb |
| Jan 2022 – Dec 2022 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2021 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2020 | 1 ppb |
| Jan 2018 – Dec 2020 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2019 | 8 ppb |
| Jan 2018 – Dec 2018 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2017 | 0 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
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 | 14.4 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.022 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chlorate | 250 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Vanadium | 0.39 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.058 ppb | – |
Where it serves
Hartford, Glastonbury, Windsor, South Windsor, Farmington, Manchester, Berlin, Bloomfield, Portland, West Hartford, East Hartford, East Granby, Rocky Hill, Newington, Cromwell, Wethersfield, Windsor Locks
61 ZIP codes the system reported serving
06002, 06026, 06032, 06033, 06040, 06042, 06067, 06073, 06074, 06095, 06096, 06101, 06102, 06103, 06104, 06105, 06106, 06107, 06108, 06109, 06110, 06111, 06112, 06114, 06115, 06117, 06118, 06119, 06120, 06123, 06127, 06128, 06129, 06131, 06133, 06134, 06137, 06138, 06140, 06141, 06142, 06143, 06144, 06145, 06146, 06147, 06150, 06151, 06152, 06153, 06154, 06155, 06156, 06160, 06161, 06167, 06176, 06180, 06183, 06199, 06480
Nearby utilities
- Manchester Water Department Manchester · 8 mi · PFAS above limit
- New Britain Water Department New Britain · 8 mi
- Connecticut Water Company – Unionville System Farmington · 9 mi · PFAS above limit
- Avon Water Company Avon · 9 mi · PFAS above limit
- Aquarion-Plainville Regional Plainville · 11 mi · PFAS above limit
- Bristol Water Department Bristol · 15 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Hartford tap water safe to drink?
Most of Hartford gets its water from Metropolitan District Commission. Metropolitan District Commission has no health-based violations since 2016. 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 Hartford water have PFAS?
EPA tested Metropolitan District Commission for 29 PFAS between Jan 2023 and Oct 2023 and none were detected above the reporting limits (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical).
What is the lead level in Hartford water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Metropolitan District Commission is 0 ppb, for the monitoring period that began Jan 2026 (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 CT0640011: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID CT0640011).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- Metropolitan District 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: (860) 278-7850.
- Metropolitan District 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.