Is Akron, OH tap water safe?
Supplied by Akron City Public Water System · serves 280,000 people (94,791 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID OH7700011
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Detected, below limit2 of 29 PFAS found at least once. All averages below the federal limits.
- Lead
- Below action level2.67 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 Jul 2025.
- 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.
- 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 Akron 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: (330) 678-0077.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 1 entry point tested Mar 2023 to Dec 2023. "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 | 1.82 ppt 46% 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) Not detected Limit 1 | – |
| PFBS Not detected Guideline 2,000 ppt | – |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 1.25 ppt |
| PFHxA Not detected Guideline 3,000 ppt | – |
29 PFAS tested, 2 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: 2.67 ppb lead (Jan 2025 – Dec 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 4.08 ppb (Dec 2021).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2025 – Dec 2025 | 2.67 ppb |
| Jan 2024 – Dec 2024 | 1.83 ppb |
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2023 | 1.03 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2022 – Dec 2022 | 1.67 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2021 | 4.08 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2020 | 1.55 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2019 | 2.45 ppb |
| Jan 2016 – Dec 2018 | 2.32 ppb |
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2015 | 9.79 ppb |
| Jan 2010 – Dec 2012 | 4.5 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 2.4 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2007 | 0 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 |
|---|---|
| Jul 2025 | The running annual average for Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) was above the legal limit. EPA record: Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · measured 0.062 mg/l (limit 0.060 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 | 37.3 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Vanadium | 1.8 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chlorate | 854 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.13 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 0.099 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
Where it serves
Akron, Kent, Green, Cuyahoga Falls, Hudson, New Franklin, Streetsboro, Aurora, Norton, Stow, Tallmadge, Twinsburg, Wadsworth, Montrose-Ghent, Richfield, Highland Heights, Sharon Center, Munroe Falls, Lakemore
61 ZIP codes the system reported serving
44087, 44143, 44201, 44202, 44203, 44210, 44215, 44216, 44221, 44223, 44224, 44236, 44240, 44241, 44250, 44255, 44256, 44258, 44260, 44262, 44264, 44274, 44278, 44281, 44286, 44301, 44302, 44303, 44304, 44305, 44306, 44307, 44308, 44309, 44310, 44311, 44312, 44313, 44314, 44315, 44316, 44318, 44319, 44320, 44321, 44325, 44326, 44333, 44334, 44398, 44618, 44620, 44622, 44632, 44685, 44703, 44706, 44708, 44711, 44720, 44735
Nearby utilities
- Cuyahoga Falls City Public Water System Cuyahoga Falls · 7 mi
- Aqua Ohio – Massillon Public Water System Massillon · 20 mi
- Canton Public Water System Canton · 20 mi
- Jackson/Milton Metro Water District Public Water System Lake Milton · 28 mi · PFAS above limit
- Cleveland Public Water System Cleveland · 29 mi
- Newton Falls City Water System Newton Falls · 30 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Akron tap water safe to drink?
Most of Akron gets its water from Akron City Public Water System. Akron 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 Akron water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Akron City Public Water System found 2 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in Akron water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Akron City Public Water System is 2.67 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 OH7700011: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID OH7700011).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- Akron 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: (330) 678-0077.
- Akron 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.