Is Atlanta, GA tap water safe?
Supplied by City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management · serves 1.1 million people (188,246 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID GA1210001
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Buys water from Atlanta-Fulton County Water Resources. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Detected, below limit4 of 29 PFAS found at least once. All averages below the federal limits.
- Lead
- Below action level1.4 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 2024. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved5 health-based violations since 2016, most recently Apr 2019.
- 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 City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management's 2025 water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (678) 883-4933.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 3 entry points tested Apr 2023 to Jan 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) Detected, below limit Limit 1 | 0.00082 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 1.65 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 2.08 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 2.95 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 2.93 ppt |
29 PFAS tested, 4 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: 1.4 ppb lead (Jan 2022 – Dec 2024). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 88.5 ppb (Dec 2018).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2022 – Dec 2024 | 1.4 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2021 | 2.4 ppb |
| Jan 2016 – Dec 2018 | 88.5 ppb |
Earlier results (8)
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2015 | 2.5 ppb |
| Jan 2012 – Dec 2014 | 2.5 ppb |
| Jan 2009 – Dec 2011 | 2.5 ppb |
| Jan 2006 – Dec 2008 | 2.5 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Dec 2005 | 4.2 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Dec 2003 | 4.2 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2002 | 2.5 ppb |
| Jan 2001 – Dec 2001 | 4.53 ppb |
Lead service lines: City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management publishes a service line inventory where you can look up what your line is made of. It doesn't publish summary counts.
Look up your address · Source (the utility, collected by us on Nov 14, 2026, not EPA data) · Checking your own line
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 2018 – Apr 2019 4 times | 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 0.069 mg/l (limit 0.060 mg/L) Resolved |
| Oct 2017 | 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 | 1.96 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chlorate | 360 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Vanadium | 0.44 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.036 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chromium-6 | 0.21 ppb | – |
Where it serves
Atlanta
42 ZIP codes the system reported serving
30022, 30075, 30076, 30213, 30268, 30288, 30291, 30296, 30297, 30303, 30304, 30305, 30306, 30307, 30308, 30309, 30310, 30311, 30312, 30313, 30314, 30315, 30316, 30317, 30318, 30319, 30320, 30324, 30326, 30327, 30328, 30331, 30336, 30337, 30338, 30339, 30342, 30344, 30349, 30350, 30354, 30363
Nearby utilities
- DeKalb County Water System Decatur · 7 mi
- Clayton County Water Authority Morrow · 14 mi · PFAS above limit
- Cobb County Water System Marietta · 15 mi
- Marietta Board of Lights and Water Marietta · 15 mi
- Douglasville-Douglas County Water & Sewer Authority Douglasville · 16 mi
- North Fulton County Water System Alpharetta · 23 mi
Questions
Is Atlanta tap water safe to drink?
Most of Atlanta gets its water from City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management. City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management had 5 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 Atlanta water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management found 4 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in Atlanta water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management is 1.4 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2024. 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 GA1210001: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID GA1210001).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management's 2025 water quality report: the utility's own annual report, including contaminants EPA's national database doesn't carry (link checked Nov 14, 2026). Phone: (678) 883-4933.
- City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management 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.