Gwinnett County Dept. of Water Resources water quality
Buford, GA · serves 975,000 people (260,400 connections) · Surface water · Local government · EPA ID GA1350004
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
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
- 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 Gwinnett County Dept. of Water Resources's 2026 water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (678) 376-6715.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 2 entry points tested Mar 2024 to Dec 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: 1.2 ppb (Dec 2020).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2024 – now (in progress) | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2023 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2018 – Dec 2020 | 1.2 ppb |
Earlier results (7)
| Jan 2015 – Dec 2017 | 1.1 ppb |
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2015 | 1.5 ppb |
| Jan 2007 – Dec 2009 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2006 – Dec 2006 | 1.3 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2005 | 2.7 ppb |
| Jan 2004 – Dec 2004 | 2.7 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Dec 2003 | 5.9 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 | 5 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.15 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 0.029 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
Where it serves
Buford
29 ZIP codes the system reported serving
30011, 30012, 30017, 30019, 30024, 30039, 30043, 30044, 30045, 30046, 30047, 30052, 30058, 30071, 30078, 30084, 30087, 30092, 30093, 30096, 30097, 30340, 30350, 30360, 30517, 30518, 30519, 30548, 30620
Nearby utilities
- Cumming Water System Cumming · 10 mi
- Forsyth County Water & Sewer Cumming · 10 mi
- Gainesville Water System Gainesville · 15 mi
- North Fulton County Water System Alpharetta · 16 mi
- Winder Water System Winder · 18 mi
- Cherokee County Water System Milton · 19 mi
Questions
Is Gwinnett County Dept. of Water Resources water safe to drink?
Gwinnett County Dept. of Water Resources 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 Gwinnett County Dept. of Water Resources water have PFAS?
EPA tested Gwinnett County Dept. of Water Resources for 29 PFAS between Mar 2024 and Dec 2024 and none were detected above the reporting limits (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical).
What is the lead level in Gwinnett County Dept. of Water Resources water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Gwinnett County Dept. of Water Resources 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 GA1350004: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID GA1350004).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- Gwinnett County Dept. of Water Resources'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: (678) 376-6715.
- Gwinnett County Dept. of Water Resources 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.