Is Macon, GA tap water safe?
Supplied by Macon Water Authority · serves 130,024 people (51,665 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID GA0210001
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Summary
No limits exceeded in the data EPA has, but the record is incomplete: no federal PFAS results.
- PFAS
- No EPA resultsNo results for this system in EPA's 2023–2025 PFAS testing. Ask the utility or your state drinking water program whether it has tested.
- Lead
- Below action level2.6 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
- 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 Macon Water Authority'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 (478) 464-5636. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
No EPA results. No results for this system in EPA's 2023–2025 PFAS testing. Ask the utility or your state drinking water program whether it has tested. Your state may have its own PFAS sampling results.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 2.6 ppb lead (Jan 2024 – now (in progress)). Below action level
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2024 – now (in progress) | 2.6 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2023 | 1.4 ppb |
| Jan 2018 – Dec 2020 | 1.7 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2015 – Dec 2017 | 1.6 ppb |
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2016 | 2.5 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2013 | 2.5 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 3.1 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2007 | 2.5 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2005 | 2.5 ppb |
| Jan 2004 – Dec 2004 | 2.6 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Dec 2003 | 3.4 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2002 | 2.5 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
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 | 2.45 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.078 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chromium-6 | 0.16 ppb | – |
| Chlorate | 120 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Vanadium | 1 ppb | 21 ppb |
Where it serves
Macon
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 31201, 31202, 31203, 31204, 31205, 31206, 31207, 31208, 31209, 31210, 31211, 31212, 31216, 31217, 31220, 31221
Nearby utilities
- Centerville Water System Centerville · 12 mi · PFAS above limit
- Houston County – Feagin Mill Warner Robins · 15 mi
- Warner Robins Water System Warner Robins · 15 mi
- Gray Water System Gray · 16 mi · PFAS above limit
- Cochran Water System Cochran · 35 mi · PFAS above limit
- Talbot County Water Works Talbotton · 50 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Macon tap water safe to drink?
Most of Macon gets its water from Macon Water Authority. Macon Water Authority has no health-based violations since 2016. There are no federal PFAS results for this system. 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 Macon water have PFAS?
Unknown from federal data. No results for this system in EPA's 2023–2025 PFAS testing. Ask the utility or your state drinking water program whether it has tested.
What is the lead level in Macon water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Macon Water Authority is 2.6 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 GA0210001: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Macon Water Authority at (478) 464-5636, 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.