Carmel Water Department water quality
Carmel, IN · serves 99,927 people (36,337 connections) · Groundwater under influence of surface water · Local government · EPA ID IN5229004
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 10 samples (2023–2025).
- Lead
- Below action level2.94 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 2023. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved2 health-based violations since 2016, most recently Jan 2024. One required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Oct 2021. What to do if you get a notice.
- 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.
- Got a boil-water or do-not-drink notice? What each notice means and what to do.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read Carmel Water Department'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 (317) 571-4144. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 4 entry points tested Feb 2023 to Nov 2023. "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
Detected in 1 of 10 samples. Highest result 9.57 ppb. EPA's non-enforceable screening level is 10 ppb. Below 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: 2.94 ppb lead (Jan 2021 – Dec 2023). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 5.06 ppb (Dec 2020).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2023 | 2.94 ppb |
| Jan 2018 – Dec 2020 | 5.06 ppb |
| Jan 2015 – Dec 2017 | 3.8 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2012 – Dec 2014 | 2.3 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2013 | 8.6 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 2.5 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2007 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2004 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 1999 – Dec 2001 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 1996 – Dec 1996 | 6.1 ppb |
| Jan 1995 – Dec 1995 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 1994 – Dec 1994 | 8 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
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Jan 2024 | A required step to remove or kill germs (filtration, disinfection or fixing a contaminated well) was not done properly. EPA record: Groundwater Rule · Treatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) (limit ) Resolved |
| Oct 2021 | E. coli was confirmed in the water. E. coli means the water may have been contaminated with sewage or animal waste. Urgent public notice required What that means EPA record: Revised Total Coliform Rule · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, E. coli (RTCR) 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 | 1.82 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.04 ppb | – |
| Molybdenum | 5.8 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.27 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
Where it serves
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 46032, 46033, 46074, 46280
Nearby utilities
- Citizens Water of Westfield, LLC Carmel · same area
- Citizens Water – Indianapolis Indianapolis · 13 mi
- Indiana American Water – Johnson County Greenwood · 25 mi
- Anderson Water Department Anderson · 26 mi
- Indiana American Water – Kokomo Kokomo · 34 mi
- Indiana American Water – Muncie Muncie · 43 mi
Questions
Is Carmel Water Department water safe to drink?
Carmel Water Department had 2 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 Carmel Water Department water have PFAS?
EPA tested Carmel Water Department for 29 PFAS between Feb 2023 and Nov 2023 and none were detected above the reporting limits (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical).
What is the lead level in Carmel Water Department water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Carmel Water Department is 2.94 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2023. 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 IN5229004: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID IN5229004).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Carmel Water Department at (317) 571-4144, 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.