Is Kansas City, MO tap water safe?
Supplied by Kansas City Public Water System · serves 553,295 people (179,454 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID MO1010415
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Kansas City gets its water from Kansas City Public Water System. Parts of the city are served by a smaller system: Springdale Lake Estates Water System (1,500 people). Your water bill names your system.
Buys water from Kansas City Board of Public Utilities, Jackson County Public Water Supply District 2, Water District 1 of Johnson County, North Kansas City Public Water System. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Detected, below limit1 of 29 PFAS found at least once. All averages below the federal limits.
- Lithium
- Above screening levelHighest result 58.6 ppb. EPA uses 10 ppb to decide what to study further. It is not a health limit, and there is no federal limit for lithium. About 1 in 4 systems tested were above it.
- Lead
- Below action level2.08 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 Mar 2019.
- 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 Kansas City Public Water System's 2026 water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (816) 513-0110.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 2 entry points tested Jan 2024 to Oct 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) Not detected Limit 1 | – |
| PFBS Not detected Guideline 2,000 ppt | – |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 1.4 ppt |
| PFHxA Not detected Guideline 3,000 ppt | – |
29 PFAS tested, 1 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 8 of 8 samples. Highest result 58.6 ppb. EPA's non-enforceable screening level is 10 ppb. Above 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: 2.08 ppb lead (Jan 2023 – Dec 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 3 ppb (Dec 2016).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2025 | 2.08 ppb |
| Jul 2022 – Dec 2022 | 2.2 ppb |
| Jan 2022 – Jun 2022 | 1.32 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2019 | 2.1 ppb |
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2016 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2013 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2007 – Dec 2007 | 7.6 ppb |
| Jan 2004 – Dec 2004 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2001 – Dec 2001 | 3.6 ppb |
| Jan 1999 – Dec 1999 | 6.6 ppb |
| Jan 1997 – Dec 1997 | 4 ppb |
Lead service lines: Kansas City Public Water System's inventory lists 0 lead, 22,951 galvanized lines that need replacing, 22,702 of unknown material out of 177,595 service lines (as of 2026-09-15). 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
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Mar 2019 | The system did not filter its surface water as required, a protection against germs like Giardia and Cryptosporidium. EPA record: Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule · Failure to Filter (SWTR) (limit ) Resolved |
1 unresolved monitoring or reporting violation: Lead and Copper Rule.
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 | 0.7 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.24 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chromium-6 | 2.8 ppb | – |
| Vanadium | 2.45 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 3.44 ppb | 40 ppb |
Where it serves
Kansas City
91 ZIP codes the system reported serving
64012, 64016, 64024, 64030, 64034, 64060, 64063, 64064, 64068, 64078, 64079, 64081, 64082, 64083, 64101, 64102, 64105, 64106, 64108, 64109, 64110, 64111, 64112, 64113, 64114, 64116, 64117, 64118, 64119, 64120, 64121, 64123, 64124, 64125, 64126, 64127, 64128, 64129, 64130, 64131, 64132, 64133, 64134, 64136, 64137, 64138, 64139, 64141, 64144, 64145, 64146, 64147, 64148, 64149, 64150, 64151, 64152, 64153, 64154, 64155, 64156, 64157, 64158, 64161, 64162, 64163, 64164, 64165, 64166, 64167, 64168, 64170, 64171, 64179, 64180, 64184, 64187, 64188, 64190, 64191, 64195, 64196, 64197, 64198, 64199, 64439, 64999, 66103, 66205, 66208, 66211
Nearby utilities
- Independence Public Water System Independence · 11 mi
- Lees Summit Public Water System Lee's Summit · 17 mi
- Blue Springs Public Water System Blue Springs · 17 mi
- Missouri American Water – St Joseph St. Joseph · 46 mi
- City of Columbia Utilities Columbia · 120 mi
- Camdenton Public Water System Camdenton · 123 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Kansas City tap water safe to drink?
Most of Kansas City gets its water from Kansas City Public Water System. Kansas City Public 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 Kansas City water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Kansas City Public Water System found 1 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in Kansas City water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Kansas City Public Water System is 2.08 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 MO1010415: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID MO1010415).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- Kansas City Public Water System'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: (816) 513-0110.
- Kansas City Public Water System 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.