Is New Orleans, LA tap water safe?
Supplied by New Orleans Carrollton Water Works · serves 334,903 people (137,049 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID LA1071009
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of New Orleans gets its water from New Orleans Carrollton Water Works. Parts of the city are served by a smaller system: New Orleans Algiers Water Works (52,785 people). Your water bill names your system.
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Detected, below limit6 of 29 PFAS found at least once. All averages below the federal limits.
- Lead
- Below action level6 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
- Resolved1 health-based violation since 2016, most recently Jan 2025. One required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Jan 2025. 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.
- 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 New Orleans Carrollton Water Works's 2026 water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (504) 380-6507.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 3 entry points tested Mar 2023 to Mar 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 | 1.03 ppt 26% of the limit |
| PFOS One sample above limit Limit 4 ppt | 1.05 ppt 26% of the limit |
| PFHxS Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| PFNA Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 1.35 ppt 14% of the limit |
| Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Detected, below limit Limit 1 | 0.14 |
| PFBS Not detected Guideline 2,000 ppt | – |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 6.95 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 0.75 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 2.2 ppt |
29 PFAS tested, 6 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 3 of 12 samples. Highest result 14 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: 6 ppb lead (Jan 2023 – Dec 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 9 ppb (Dec 2016).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2025 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2022 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2019 | 8 ppb |
Earlier results (8)
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2016 | 9 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2013 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 11 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2007 | 15 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2004 | 1 ppb |
| Jan 1999 – Dec 2001 | 1 ppb |
| Jul 1992 – Dec 1992 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 1992 – Jun 1992 | 4 ppb |
Lead service lines: New Orleans Carrollton Water Works's inventory lists 15,000 lead, 119,000 of unknown material (as of 2024-10-11). Figures are approximate, as the utility published them.
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
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | The water was too cloudy too often in a month. Cloudiness can shield germs from disinfection. Urgent public notice required What that means EPA record: Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule · Monthly Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) (limit ) 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 | 1.6 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chlorate | 490 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 2.6 ppb | 40 ppb |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.4 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.23 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Vanadium | 1.1 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.092 ppb | – |
Where it serves
New Orleans
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 70112, 70113, 70115, 70116, 70117, 70118, 70119, 70122, 70124, 70125, 70126, 70127, 70128, 70129, 70130, 70148
Nearby utilities
- New Orleans Algiers Water Works New Orleans · same area
- East Jefferson Water Works District 1 Jefferson · 15 mi
- W Jefferson Water Works District 2 Jefferson · 15 mi
- St Charles Parish Dept of Waterworks Laplace · 32 mi
- Lafourche Water District 1 Bayou Blue · 53 mi
- Schriever Water Treatment Service Area Schriever · 58 mi
Questions
Is New Orleans tap water safe to drink?
Most of New Orleans gets its water from New Orleans Carrollton Water Works. New Orleans Carrollton Water Works had 1 health-based violation 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 New Orleans water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of New Orleans Carrollton Water Works found 6 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in New Orleans water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for New Orleans Carrollton Water Works is 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 LA1071009: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID LA1071009).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- New Orleans Carrollton Water Works'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: (504) 380-6507.
- New Orleans Carrollton Water Works 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.