Is South Bend, IN tap water safe?
Supplied by South Bend Water Works · serves 115,000 people (46,000 connections) · Groundwater · EPA ID IN5271014
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of South Bend gets its water from South Bend Water Works. Parts of the city are served by 2 smaller systems: Clearwater Village Mobile Home Park (400 people), Sunset Village & RV Park Water System (25 people). Your water bill names your system.
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 limitPFOA, PFHxS, the PFAS Hazard Index above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOA 5 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, PFHxS 15.8 ppt vs a limit of 10 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Below action level4.7 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.
- 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 South Bend Water Works'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 (574) 245-6108. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 9 entry points tested Oct 2023 to May 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 Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 5 ppt 1.25× the limit |
| PFOS Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFHxS Above limit Limit 10 ppt | 15.8 ppt 1.58× the limit |
| 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) Above limit Limit 1 | 1.58 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 6.2 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 16.3 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 13.7 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 26.8 ppt |
| PFHpA Detected, no limit | 4.15 ppt |
| PFPeS Detected, no limit | 3.6 ppt |
What the utility says it is doing: WVPE reported in July 2025 that South Bend was seeking approval of a $1.4 million Black & Veatch design contract for PFAS treatment at its North Station, with construction estimated at $15.5 million, to be followed by the Pinhook Station.
Source: South Bend spending millions to tackle forever chemicals (news report), 2025-07-17. Collected by us on Nov 14, 2026, not from EPA's data. Ask the utility for the latest.
For context: the PFOA average is higher than at 98% of the Indiana systems EPA tested and the PFHxS average is higher than at 99% of the Indiana systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 8 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 18 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 4.7 ppb lead (Jan 2023 – Dec 2025). Below action level
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2025 | 4.7 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2022 | 4.1 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2019 | 2.6 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2016 | 4.48 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2013 | 2.5 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2007 – Dec 2009 | 4.9 ppb |
| Jan 2004 – Dec 2006 | 5.6 ppb |
| Jan 2001 – Dec 2003 | 12.1 ppb |
| Jan 1998 – Dec 1998 | 2.2 ppb |
| Jan 1997 – Dec 1997 | 3.8 ppb |
| Jan 1996 – Dec 1996 | 3.6 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 | 162 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.53 ppb | – |
| Chlorate | 250 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 2 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Vanadium | 0.8 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.17 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.54 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
Where it serves
South Bend
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 46530, 46544, 46552, 46554, 46556, 46601, 46613, 46614, 46615, 46616, 46617, 46619, 46624, 46628, 46634, 46635, 46637, 46660, 46680
Nearby utilities
- Indiana American Water – Northwest Gary · 56 mi
- Hammond Water Works Department Hammond · 63 mi
- Fort Wayne – 3 Rivers Filtration Plant Fort Wayne · 71 mi
- Indiana American Water – Kokomo Kokomo · 84 mi
- Purdue University Water Works West Lafayette · 92 mi
- Lafayette Water Works Lafayette · 93 mi
Questions
Is South Bend tap water safe to drink?
Most of South Bend gets its water from South Bend Water Works. South Bend Water Works 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 South Bend water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of South Bend Water Works found 8 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA and PFHxS: PFOA 5 ppt, PFHxS 15.8 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in South Bend water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for South Bend Water Works is 4.7 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 IN5271014: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID IN5271014).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask South Bend Water Works at (574) 245-6108, 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.