Tap Water Results

Stillwater Utilities Authority water quality

Stillwater, OK · serves 53,000 people (17,348 connections) · Surface water · Local government · EPA ID OK1021220

Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it

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 limitPFOS above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOS 6.13 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
Lithium
Above screening levelHighest result 21.6 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 level2.6 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 Jan 2026 – now, still in progress (results reported so far). Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
Violations
Resolved16 health-based violations since 2016, most recently Feb 2023. 6 required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Oct 2018. What to do if you get a notice.
What you can do

PFAS (“forever chemicals”)

EPA UCMR 5: 1 entry point tested Dec 2023 to Sep 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.

ContaminantHighest averageHighest resultLimitStatus
PFOA
Not detected
Limit 4 ppt
––4 pptNot detected
PFOS
Above limit
Limit 4 ppt
6.13 ppt
1.53× the limit
8.6 ppt4 pptAbove limit
PFHxS
Detected, below limit
Limit 10 ppt
4.58 ppt
46% of the limit
6.4 ppt10 pptDetected, below limit
PFNA
Not detected
Limit 10 ppt
––10 pptNot detected
HFPO-DA (GenX)
Not detected
Limit 10 ppt
––10 pptNot detected
Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit)
Detected, below limit
Limit 1
0.460.641Detected, below limit
PFBS
Detected, below limit
Guideline 2,000 ppt
0.75 ppt3 ppt2,000 ppt guidelineDetected, below limit
PFBA
Not detected
Guideline 6,000 ppt
––6,000 ppt guidelineNot detected
PFHxA
Detected, below limit
Guideline 3,000 ppt
2.82 ppt4.9 ppt3,000 ppt guidelineDetected, below limit
PFPeA
Detected, no limit
1.9 ppt4.4 pptnoneDetected, no limit

For context: the PFOS average is higher than at 96% of the Oklahoma systems EPA tested.

29 PFAS tested, 5 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 4 of 4 samples. Highest result 21.6 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: 2.6 ppb lead (Jan 2026 – now (in progress)). Below action level

Highest since 2016: 3 ppb (Dec 2023).

Monitoring periodLead (90th pct.)
Jan 2026 – now (in progress)2.6 ppb
Jan 2025 – Dec 20252.1 ppb
Jan 2024 – Dec 20242.1 ppb
Earlier results (9)
Jan 2023 – Dec 20233 ppb
Jan 2022 – Dec 20220 ppb
Jan 2021 – Dec 20210 ppb
Jan 2020 – Dec 20200 ppb
Jan 2016 – Dec 20180 ppb
Jan 2013 – Dec 20150 ppb
Jan 2010 – Dec 20120 ppb
Jan 2007 – Dec 20090 ppb
Jan 2004 – Dec 20060 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

16
Health-based since 2016
5
Monitoring/reporting since 2016
0
Health-based unresolved now
49
Total ever recorded, incl. paperwork
WhenWhat happenedStatus
Feb 2023
2 times
A required step to remove or kill germs (filtration, disinfection or fixing a contaminated well) was not done properly.
EPA record: Surface Water Treatment Rule · Treatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) (limit )
Resolved
Resolved
Oct 2016 – Oct 2022
8 times
The system did not remove enough organic matter, which reacts with chlorine to form disinfection byproducts.
EPA record: Carbon, total · Treatment Technique Precursor Removal · measured 0.98 ratio (limit TT )
Resolved
Resolved
Jun 2016 – Oct 2018
2 times
The water was cloudier than allowed at least once. Cloudiness can shield germs from disinfection.
Urgent public notice required What that means
EPA record: Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule · Single Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) (limit )
Resolved
Resolved
Apr 2017 – Oct 2018
4 times
The water was too cloudy too often in a month. Cloudiness can shield germs from disinfection.
Urgent public notice required What that means
EPA record: Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule · Monthly Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) (limit )
Resolved
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)

ContaminantHighestGuidelineDetectedTested
Manganese0.89 ppb300 ppb4 of 4UCMR 4 (2019)
Molybdenum2.76 ppb40 ppb8 of 8UCMR 3 (2014)
Strontium0.52 ppm1.5 ppm8 of 8UCMR 3 (2014)
Chromium-60.36 ppb–8 of 8UCMR 3 (2014)
Vanadium9.64 ppb21 ppb8 of 8UCMR 3 (2014)

Where it serves

Stillwater

ZIP codes the system reported serving: 74074, 74076

Nearby utilities

Questions

Is Stillwater Utilities Authority water safe to drink?

Stillwater Utilities Authority had 16 health-based violations since 2016, all since resolved. 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 Stillwater Utilities Authority water have PFAS?

Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Stillwater Utilities Authority found 5 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOS: PFOS 6.13 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).

What is the lead level in Stillwater Utilities Authority water?

The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Stillwater Utilities Authority is 2.6 ppb, for the monitoring period that began Jan 2026 (still in progress). 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:

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.