Is Indianapolis, IN tap water safe?
Supplied by Citizens Water – Indianapolis · serves 880,345 people (352,138 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID IN5249004
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Indianapolis gets its water from Citizens Water – Indianapolis. Parts of the city are served by a smaller system: Tri-County Conservancy District (3,078 people). Your water bill names your system.
Buys water from Anderson Water Department. 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 level3.44 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 Jun 2026. 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 Citizens Water – Indianapolis's 2026 water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (317) 429-3569.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 9 entry points tested Aug 2023 to Aug 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 | 0.0019 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 3.9 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 2.67 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 3.67 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 6.35 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 26 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 3.44 ppb lead (Jan 2026 – Jun 2026). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 9.09 ppb (Dec 2022).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2026 – Jun 2026 | 3.44 ppb |
| Jul 2025 – Dec 2025 | 4.67 ppb |
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2025 | 5.18 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2023 | 7.7 ppb |
| Jan 2022 – Dec 2022 | 9.09 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2021 | 7.7 ppb |
| Jan 2016 – Dec 2018 | 8.05 ppb |
| Jan 2016 – Dec 2016 | 5.64 ppb |
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2015 | 8 ppb |
| Jan 2012 – Dec 2014 | 14.2 ppb |
| Jan 2009 – Dec 2009 | 10 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2008 | 8.2 ppb |
Lead service lines: Citizens Water – Indianapolis's inventory lists 52,787 lead, 183 galvanized lines that need replacing, 36,839 of unknown material (as of 2026-11-14). It reports 4,000 lead lines replaced. Counted by us from the utility's or state's published line-by-line inventory data.
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
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 | 1.23 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chlorate | 1,800 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.51 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Molybdenum | 8.5 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.41 ppb | – |
| Vanadium | 1.3 ppb | 21 ppb |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.28 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
Where it serves
Indianapolis
55 ZIP codes the system reported serving
46032, 46037, 46038, 46040, 46055, 46062, 46077, 46107, 46112, 46113, 46123, 46140, 46143, 46163, 46183, 46201, 46202, 46203, 46204, 46205, 46206, 46208, 46214, 46216, 46217, 46218, 46219, 46220, 46221, 46222, 46224, 46225, 46226, 46227, 46228, 46229, 46231, 46234, 46235, 46236, 46237, 46239, 46240, 46241, 46249, 46250, 46251, 46254, 46256, 46259, 46260, 46268, 46278, 46282, 46285
Nearby utilities
- Indiana American Water – Johnson County Greenwood · 12 mi
- Carmel Water Department Carmel · 13 mi
- Citizens Water of Westfield, LLC Carmel · 13 mi
- Anderson Water Department Anderson · 32 mi
- Columbus Municipal Utility Columbus · 41 mi
- City of Bloomington Utilities Bloomington · 47 mi
Questions
Is Indianapolis tap water safe to drink?
Most of Indianapolis gets its water from Citizens Water – Indianapolis. Citizens Water – Indianapolis 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 Indianapolis water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Citizens Water – Indianapolis found 4 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in Indianapolis water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Citizens Water – Indianapolis is 3.44 ppb, for the period ending Jun 2026. 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 IN5249004: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID IN5249004).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- Citizens Water – Indianapolis'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: (317) 429-3569.
- Citizens Water – Indianapolis 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.