Is Columbus, OH tap water safe?
Supplied by Columbus Public Water System · serves 1.3 million people (287,233 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID OH2504412
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Columbus gets its water from Columbus Public Water System. Parts of the city are served by 2 smaller systems: Sanitary District #4 (8,575 people), Aqua Ohio – Blacklick (7,100 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 level1.2 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 2023. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved1 health-based violation since 2016, most recently Jun 2016. One required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Jun 2016. 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.
- Pregnant, or mixing baby formula with tap water? Nitrate is most harmful to babies under 6 months, and boiling concentrates it. Consider bottled water or a filter certified for nitrate for formula, and ask your doctor. Health effects.
- 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 Columbus Public Water System's 2026 water quality report (PDF) (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (614) 645-8460.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 3 entry points tested Feb 2024 to Nov 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 One sample above limit Limit 4 ppt | 1.32 ppt 33% of 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) Detected, below limit Limit 1 | 0.0014 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 2.77 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 7.38 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 6.7 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 4.33 ppt |
| PFHpA Detected, no limit | 1.07 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
Not detected in 10 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 1.2 ppb lead (Jan 2021 – Dec 2023). Below action level
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2023 | 1.2 ppb |
| Jan 2018 – Dec 2020 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2015 – Dec 2017 | 0 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2012 – Dec 2014 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2009 – Dec 2011 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2007 | 0 ppb |
| Jun 2005 – Sep 2005 | 1,000 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2002 | 1 ppb |
| Jan 2001 – Dec 2001 | 1 ppb |
| Jan 2000 – Dec 2000 | 1 ppb |
| Jan 1999 – Jun 1999 | 1 ppb |
Lead service lines: Columbus Public Water System's inventory lists 23,512 lead, 17,916 galvanized lines that need replacing, 29,343 of unknown material out of 288,142 service lines (as of 2026-11-06). 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 |
|---|---|
| Jun 2016 | The running annual average for Nitrate was above the legal limit. Urgent public notice required What that means EPA record: Nitrate · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · measured 10.5 mg/l (limit 10 mg/L) 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 | 0.48 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 12 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Vanadium | 0.69 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.35 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 1.3 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chlorate | 370 ppb | 210 ppb |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.12 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
Where it serves
Columbus
55 ZIP codes the system reported serving
43002, 43004, 43016, 43017, 43026, 43031, 43035, 43054, 43064, 43065, 43068, 43081, 43082, 43085, 43109, 43110, 43119, 43123, 43125, 43130, 43137, 43146, 43147, 43201, 43202, 43203, 43204, 43205, 43206, 43207, 43209, 43210, 43211, 43212, 43213, 43214, 43215, 43216, 43217, 43218, 43219, 43220, 43221, 43222, 43223, 43224, 43227, 43228, 43229, 43230, 43231, 43232, 43235, 43236, 43240
Nearby utilities
- Del-Co Water Company, Inc. Dublin · 12 mi
- Springfield City Public Water System Springfield · 43 mi
- Yellow Springs Village Public Water System Yellow Springs · 50 mi · PFAS above limit
- Wright-Patterson AFB Area A Public Water System Wright-Patterson AFB · 57 mi · PFAS above limit
- Wright-Patterson AFB Area B Public Water System Wright-Patterson AFB · 57 mi · PFAS above limit
- Mansfield City Water System Mansfield · 59 mi
Questions
Is Columbus tap water safe to drink?
Most of Columbus gets its water from Columbus Public Water System. Columbus 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 Columbus water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Columbus Public Water System found 6 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in Columbus water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Columbus Public Water System is 1.2 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2023. 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 OH2504412: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID OH2504412).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- Columbus Public Water System's 2026 water quality report (PDF): the utility's own annual report, including contaminants EPA's national database doesn't carry (link checked Nov 14, 2026). Phone: (614) 645-8460.
- Columbus 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.