Paulding County Water System water quality
Dallas, GA · serves 117,468 people (45,493 connections) · Surface water · Local government · EPA ID GA2230002
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Buys water from Cobb County – Marietta Water Authority. 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 level1.6 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 ending Dec 2025. 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.
- 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 Paulding County Water System'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 (678) 460-0156. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 1 entry point tested Mar 2025 to Nov 2025. "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 One sample above limit Limit 4 ppt | 3.35 ppt 84% of the limit |
| 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 | 0.00038 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 0.75 ppt |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 4.25 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 4.92 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 4 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 1.6 ppb lead (Jan 2025 – Dec 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 3.1 ppb (Jun 2022).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2025 – Dec 2025 | 1.6 ppb |
| Jan 2024 – Dec 2024 | 1.2 ppb |
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2023 | 2 ppb |
Earlier results (6)
| Jul 2022 – Dec 2022 | 2.5 ppb |
| Jan 2022 – Jun 2022 | 3.1 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Dec 2003 | 2.6 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2002 | 13.7 ppb |
| Jan 2001 – Dec 2001 | 10 ppb |
| Jan 2000 – Dec 2000 | 12 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 | 2.4 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.12 ppb | – |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.11 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
| Chlorate | 567 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Vanadium | 0.69 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.034 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
Where it serves
Dallas
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 30101, 30127, 30132, 30134, 30141, 30153, 30157, 30179, 30180
Nearby utilities
- Douglasville-Douglas County Water & Sewer Authority Douglasville · 15 mi
- Cobb County Water System Marietta · 17 mi
- Marietta Board of Lights and Water Marietta · 17 mi
- Bartow County Water System Cartersville · 17 mi
- Woodstock Water System Woodstock · 23 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management Atlanta · 26 mi
Questions
Is Paulding County Water System water safe to drink?
Paulding County Water System 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 Paulding County Water System water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Paulding County Water System found 4 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in Paulding County Water System water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Paulding County Water System is 1.6 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2025. 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 GA2230002: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID GA2230002).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Paulding County Water System at (678) 460-0156, 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.