PRASA Metropolitano water quality
San Juan, PR · serves 1.1 million people (406,231 connections) · Surface water · Local government · EPA ID PR0002591
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 6.25 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Out of dateEPA's national database has no lead results for this system since 2016 (then 6 ppb, 90th percentile). Systems this size normally test every one to three years, so this most likely means newer results were not reported to EPA, not that testing stopped. Ask the utility for its latest results.
- Violations
- Resolved91 health-based violations since 2016, most recently Apr 2026. 65 required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Apr 2026. What to do if you get a notice.
- 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.
- Got a boil-water or do-not-drink notice? What each notice means and what to do.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read PRASA Metropolitano's water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (787) 620-2277.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 5 entry points tested Apr 2024 to Jan 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 One sample above limit Limit 4 ppt | 2.73 ppt 68% of the limit |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 6.25 ppt 1.56× the limit |
| 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 | 3.65 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 0.88 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 1 ppt |
| PFDA Detected, no limit | 1.88 ppt |
| 6:2 FTS Detected, no limit | 12.3 ppt |
| 8:2 FTS Detected, no limit | 3.82 ppt |
For context: the PFOS average is higher than at 91% of the Puerto Rico systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 8 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 20 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 6 ppb lead (Jul 2016 – Dec 2016). No results since 2016
This is the newest lead result in EPA's national database. Utilities report lead results to their state, and states pass them to EPA. Gaps like this usually mean the newer results did not reach EPA's database, not that the utility stopped testing. Results this old may not reflect the water today. Ask the utility or your state drinking water program for the latest lead monitoring.
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jul 2016 – Dec 2016 | 6 ppb |
| Jul 2015 – Dec 2015 | 4 ppb |
| Jul 2014 – Dec 2014 | 6 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jul 2013 – Dec 2013 | 5 ppb |
| Jul 2012 – Dec 2012 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 2012 – Jun 2012 | 6 ppb |
| Jul 2011 – Dec 2011 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Jun 2011 | 6 ppb |
| Jul 2010 – Dec 2010 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 2010 – Jun 2010 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 2009 – Jun 2009 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Jun 2008 | 3 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 |
|---|---|
| Oct 2020 – Apr 2026 5 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 ) Archived |
| Feb 2026 | 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 ) Archived |
| Jan 2020 – May 2025 28 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 |
| Sep 2019 – May 2025 17 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 |
| Oct 2019 – Jan 2021 6 times | The running annual average for TTHM was above the legal limit. EPA record: TTHM · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · measured 0.086 mg/l (limit 0.080 mg/L) Resolved |
| Jan 2020 – Oct 2020 3 times | 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 0.061 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 | 142 ppb | 300 ppb |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.16 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.29 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 0.22 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Molybdenum | 1.25 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Chlorate | 49.5 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Vanadium | 6.07 ppb | 21 ppb |
Where it serves
San Juan, Bayamón, Toa Alta
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 00726, 00901
Nearby utilities
- PRASA – El Yunque Río Grande · 15 mi
- PRASA – Cidra Urbano Cidra · 17 mi · PFAS above limit
- PRASA – Las Bocas Barranquitas · 22 mi · PFAS above limit
- PRASA – Aibonito la Plata Aibonito · 23 mi · PFAS above limit
- PRASA – Aibonito Urbano Aibonito · 23 mi · PFAS above limit
- PRASA – Fajardo Ceiba Fajardo · 27 mi
Questions
Is PRASA Metropolitano water safe to drink?
PRASA Metropolitano had 91 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 PRASA Metropolitano water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of PRASA Metropolitano found 8 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOS: PFOS 6.25 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in PRASA Metropolitano water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for PRASA Metropolitano is 6 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2016, which is more than five years old. 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 PR0002591: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID PR0002591).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- PRASA Metropolitano's water quality report: the utility's own annual report, including contaminants EPA's national database doesn't carry (link checked Nov 14, 2026). Phone: (787) 620-2277.
- PRASA Metropolitano 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.