Is Salem, NH tap water safe?
Supplied by Salem Water Dept · serves 21,080 people (6,954 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID NH2051010
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Salem gets its water from Salem Water Dept. Parts of the city are served by 6 smaller systems: Ackerman Retirement Park Water System (350 people), Lancaster Farms Water System (303 people), Autumn Woods Water System (193 people), Shadow Lake Mobile Home Park Water System (58 people) and 2 more. Your water bill names your system.
Buys water from Derry Water Dept. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
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 above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOA 7.45 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Below action level2 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 2024. 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 Salem Water Dept'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. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 2 entry points tested Dec 2024 to Sep 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 Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 7.45 ppt 1.86× the limit |
| 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 Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 2.8 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 2.55 ppt |
New Hampshire has its own PFAS limits. PFOA 12 ppt (this system's highest average: 7.45 ppt), PFOS 15 ppt (this system's highest average: not detected), PFHxS 18 ppt (this system's highest average: not detected), PFNA 11 ppt (this system's highest average: not detected). State compliance is judged on the state's own sampling, so ask the utility or the state program whether it meets them.
For context: the PFOA average is higher than at 93% of the New Hampshire systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 3 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 8 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 2 ppb lead (Jan 2024 – Dec 2024). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 5 ppb (Dec 2016).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2024 – Dec 2024 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2023 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2022 – Dec 2022 | 2 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jul 2021 – Dec 2021 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Jun 2021 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2019 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2016 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2013 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2007 | 9 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2004 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2001 – Dec 2001 | 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 | 13.3 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Vanadium | 0.4 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.081 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chlorate | 420 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.29 ppb | – |
Where it serves
Salem
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 01879, 03079, 03087
Nearby utilities
- Hampstead Area Water Hampstead · 7 mi · PFAS above limit
- Hudson Water Dept Hudson · 10 mi · PFAS above limit
- Londonderry Water System Londonderry · 11 mi · PFAS above limit
- Litchfield Water System Litchfield · 13 mi · PFAS above limit
- Pennichuck Water Works Nashua · 14 mi
- Manchester Water Works Manchester · 18 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Salem tap water safe to drink?
Most of Salem gets its water from Salem Water Dept. Salem Water Dept 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 Salem water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Salem Water Dept found 3 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA: PFOA 7.45 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Salem water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Salem Water Dept is 2 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2024. 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 NH2051010: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID NH2051010).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Salem Water Dept, 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.