Is Cleveland, OH tap water safe?
Supplied by Cleveland Public Water System · serves 1.3 million people (445,151 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID OH1801212
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 16 samples (2023–2025).
- Lead
- Below action level0 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.
- 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 Cleveland 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.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 4 entry points tested Sep 2024 to Jun 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 16 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 0 ppb lead (Jan 2022 – Dec 2024). Below action level
1 reported result in EPA's records is far above anything physically plausible (likely a unit or data-entry error) and is not used in the summary.
Highest since 2016: 1.73 ppb (Dec 2018).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2022 – Dec 2024 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2021 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2016 – Dec 2018 | 1.73 ppb |
Earlier results (7)
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2015 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2010 – Dec 2012 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 3.9 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2007 | 7.41 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Dec 2005 | 6.4 ppb |
| Jun 2005 – Sep 2005 | Reported value looks erroneous |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2002 | 13 ppb |
Lead service lines: Cleveland Public Water System publishes a service line inventory where you can look up what your line is made of. It doesn't publish summary counts.
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
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 | 3.8 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.2 ppb | – |
| Vanadium | 0.7 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chlorate | 120 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 1.5 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.21 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
Where it serves
Cleveland
83 ZIP codes the system reported serving
43624, 44012, 44017, 44020, 44022, 44023, 44026, 44028, 44040, 44056, 44067, 44070, 44072, 44077, 44087, 44094, 44095, 44101, 44102, 44103, 44104, 44105, 44106, 44107, 44108, 44109, 44110, 44111, 44112, 44113, 44114, 44115, 44116, 44117, 44118, 44119, 44120, 44121, 44122, 44123, 44124, 44125, 44126, 44127, 44128, 44129, 44130, 44131, 44132, 44133, 44134, 44135, 44136, 44137, 44138, 44139, 44140, 44141, 44142, 44143, 44144, 44145, 44146, 44147, 44149, 44178, 44181, 44195, 44199, 44202, 44212, 44223, 44224, 44233, 44236, 44237, 44256, 44258, 44264, 44266, 44280, 44286, 44410
Nearby utilities
- Lakewood City Public Water System Lakewood · 6 mi
- Lake County West Water Subdistrict Kirtland · 19 mi
- Cuyahoga Falls City Public Water System Cuyahoga Falls · 21 mi
- Aqua Ohio – Mentor Mentor · 23 mi
- Elyria Water Department Lorain · 26 mi
- Lorain City Public Water System Lorain · 26 mi
Questions
Is Cleveland tap water safe to drink?
Most of Cleveland gets its water from Cleveland Public Water System. Cleveland Public Water System has no health-based violations since 2016. 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 Cleveland water have PFAS?
EPA tested Cleveland Public Water System for 29 PFAS between Sep 2024 and Jun 2025 and none were detected above the reporting limits (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical).
What is the lead level in Cleveland water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Cleveland Public Water System is 0 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 OH1801212: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID OH1801212).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- Cleveland 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).
- Cleveland 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.