PRASA – Arecibo Urbano water quality
Arecibo, PR · serves 61,626 people (23,081 connections) · Surface water · Local government · EPA ID PR0002652
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Summary
No limits exceeded in the data EPA has, but the record is incomplete: no lead results since 2016.
- PFAS
- Detected, below limit2 of 29 PFAS found at least once. All averages below the federal limits.
- 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
- Resolved1 health-based violation since 2016, most recently Aug 2022. One required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Aug 2022. 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.
- 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 PRASA – Arecibo Urbano's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report). It lists every regulated contaminant tested and is usually on the utility's website or mailed with your bill, and you can also request it at (787) 620-2277. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 11 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 Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFOS One sample above limit Limit 4 ppt | 1.1 ppt 28% of 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 Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Not detected Guideline 3,000 ppt | – |
| 6:2 FTS Detected, no limit | 2.15 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 44 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 | 6 ppb |
| Jul 2014 – Dec 2014 | 6 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jul 2013 – Dec 2013 | 9 ppb |
| Jan 2013 – Jun 2013 | 8 ppb |
| Jul 2012 – Dec 2012 | 7 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 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2009 – Jun 2009 | 6 ppb |
Copper 90th percentile: 1.36 ppm (Jan 1992), action level 1,300 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 |
|---|---|
| Aug 2022 | 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 |
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 | 5.13 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Strontium | 3.25 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Vanadium | 4.82 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 1.59 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.84 ppb | – |
| Chlorate | 346 ppb | 210 ppb |
Where it serves
Arecibo
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 00612, 00726
Nearby utilities
- PRASA – Manati East Manatí · 17 mi · PFAS above limit
- PRASA – Aguadilla Aguadilla · 27 mi · PFAS above limit
- PRASA – Aruz Juana Díaz · 32 mi · PFAS above limit
- PRASA – Experimental Juana Díaz · 32 mi · PFAS above limit
- PRASA – Jacaguas Juana Díaz · 32 mi · PFAS above limit
- PRASA – Mayaguez Mayagüez · 32 mi
Questions
Is PRASA – Arecibo Urbano water safe to drink?
PRASA – Arecibo Urbano 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 PRASA – Arecibo Urbano water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of PRASA – Arecibo Urbano found 2 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in PRASA – Arecibo Urbano water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for PRASA – Arecibo Urbano 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 PR0002652: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID PR0002652).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask PRASA – Arecibo Urbano at (787) 620-2277, or see EPA's guide to finding 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.