Garden City Water and Sewer System water quality
Garden City, ID · serves 12,500 people (4,595 connections) · Groundwater · Local government · EPA ID ID4010066
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Summary
PFAS above the 2024 federal limits. Systems have until 2029 to meet the PFAS limits.
Is it an emergency? No: PFAS limits are about years of exposure, not a glass of water, and nothing in EPA's data calls for you to stop drinking the water today. If your utility ever issues a boil-water or do-not-drink notice, follow it.
- PFAS
- Above limitPFOS, PFHxS, the PFAS Hazard Index above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOS 25.5 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, PFHxS 24.3 ppt vs a limit of 10 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lithium
- Above screening levelHighest result 78.1 ppb. EPA uses 10 ppb to decide what to study further. It is not a health limit, and there is no federal limit for lithium. About 1 in 4 systems tested were above it.
- Lead
- Below action level1 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.
- Pregnant, or mixing baby formula with tap water? Babies drink more water for their size, so PFAS exposure matters more for them. Consider bottled water or a filter certified for PFAS for formula, and ask your doctor. Health effects.
- To lower your PFAS exposure now, a home filter certified for PFAS reduction works (reverse osmosis, or activated carbon certified to NSF/ANSI 53 or 58). Filters for these results.
- 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 Garden City Water and Sewer 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 (208) 472-2949. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 8 entry points tested Apr 2024 to Oct 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 Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 25.5 ppt 6.37× the limit |
| PFHxS Above limit Limit 10 ppt | 24.3 ppt 2.43× the limit |
| PFNA Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 7.55 ppt 76% of the limit |
| 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) Above limit Limit 1 | 3.19 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 5.85 ppt |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 5.45 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 4.55 ppt |
| PFPeS Detected, no limit | 2.2 ppt |
For context: the PFOS average is higher than at 98% of the Idaho systems EPA tested and the PFHxS average is higher than at 98% of the Idaho systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 7 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
Detected in 14 of 16 samples. Highest result 78.1 ppb. EPA's non-enforceable screening level is 10 ppb. Above screening level The screening level is how EPA decides what to study further, not a health limit. There is no federal limit for lithium and no filter is certified to remove it. About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 1 ppb lead (Jan 2024 – now (in progress)). Below action level
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2024 – now (in progress) | 1 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2023 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2018 – Dec 2020 | 0 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2015 – Dec 2017 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2012 – Dec 2014 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2009 – Dec 2011 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2007 – Dec 2009 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2004 – Dec 2006 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2001 – Dec 2003 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 1998 – Dec 2000 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 1995 – Dec 1997 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 1994 – Dec 1994 | 4 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 | 300 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 5.3 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Vanadium | 1.8 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.18 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 0.34 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chlorate | 490 ppb | 210 ppb |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.074 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
Where it serves
Garden City
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 83714
Nearby utilities
- Capitol Water Corp Boise City · 6 mi · PFAS above limit
- Veolia Water Idaho Boise City · 6 mi
- Meridian Water Dept Meridian · 6 mi
- City of Nampa Nampa · 15 mi
- City of Caldwell Caldwell · 18 mi
- City of Twin Falls Twin Falls · 119 mi
Questions
Is Garden City Water and Sewer System water safe to drink?
Garden City Water and Sewer System has no health-based violations since 2016. EPA testing found PFAS above the 2024 federal limits, which systems must meet by 2029. 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 Garden City Water and Sewer System water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Garden City Water and Sewer System found 7 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOS and PFHxS: PFOS 25.5 ppt, PFHxS 24.3 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Garden City Water and Sewer System water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Garden City Water and Sewer System is 1 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 ID4010066: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID ID4010066).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Garden City Water and Sewer System at (208) 472-2949, 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.