Is Duluth, MN tap water safe?
Supplied by Duluth Water System · serves 86,859 people (28,850 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID MN1690011
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 4 samples (2023–2025).
- Lead
- Below action level8 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 Oct 2017. One required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Oct 2017. 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 Duluth Water 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 (218) 730-5256. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 1 entry point tested Jun 2024 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 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
Not detected in 4 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 8 ppb lead (Jan 2023 – Dec 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 13 ppb (Dec 2016).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2025 | 8 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2022 | 10 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2019 | 12 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2018 – Dec 2018 | 8 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2017 | 9 ppb |
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2016 | 13 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2013 | 10 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 10 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2007 | 11 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2004 | 12 ppb |
| Jan 1999 – Dec 2001 | 10 ppb |
| Jan 1998 – Dec 1998 | 10 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 |
|---|---|
| Oct 2017 | 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 | 1.07 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.03 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Vanadium | 0.26 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chlorate | 49.1 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.072 ppb | – |
Where it serves
Duluth
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 55701, 55802, 55803, 55804, 55805, 55806, 55807, 55808, 55810, 55811, 55812, 55824
Nearby utilities
- Cloquet Water System Cloquet · 18 mi · PFAS above limit
- Blaine Water System Blaine · 122 mi
- Stillwater Stillwater · 123 mi · PFAS above limit
- Coon Rapids Water System Coon Rapids · 124 mi
- Becker Water System Becker · 124 mi · PFAS above limit
- Sauk Rapids Water System Sauk Rapids · 125 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Duluth tap water safe to drink?
Most of Duluth gets its water from Duluth Water System. Duluth Water System 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 Duluth water have PFAS?
EPA tested Duluth Water System for 29 PFAS between Jun 2024 and Mar 2025 and none were detected above the reporting limits (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical).
What is the lead level in Duluth water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Duluth Water System is 8 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 MN1690011: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID MN1690011).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Duluth Water System at (218) 730-5256, 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.