PRASA – Aguadilla water quality
Aguadilla, PR · serves 124,782 people (46,735 connections) · Surface water · Local government · EPA ID PR0003293
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 5.25 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lithium
- Above screening levelHighest result 23.7 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
- Out of dateEPA's national database has no lead results for this system since 2015 (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
- Resolved42 health-based violations since 2016, most recently Oct 2022. 8 required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Oct 2022. 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 – Aguadilla'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: 14 entry points tested Jan 2023 to Dec 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 Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 5.25 ppt 1.31× 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) Detected, below limit Limit 1 | 0.0022 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 4.45 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 3.9 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 2.35 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 3.35 ppt |
For context: the PFOS average is higher than at 88% of the Puerto Rico 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 3 of 33 samples. Highest result 23.7 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: 6 ppb lead (Jul 2015 – Dec 2015). No results since 2015
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 2015 – Dec 2015 | 6 ppb |
| Jul 2012 – Dec 2012 | 6 ppb |
| Jul 2009 – Dec 2009 | 9 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jun 2006 – Sep 2006 | 4 ppb |
| Jul 2003 – Dec 2003 | 1.5 ppb |
| Jul 2002 – Dec 2002 | 7.6 ppb |
| Jul 2001 – Dec 2001 | 4.3 ppb |
| Jul 2000 – Dec 2000 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2000 – Jun 2000 | 9 ppb |
| Jan 1993 – Jun 1993 | 2 ppb |
| Jul 1992 – Dec 1992 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 1992 – Jun 1992 | 10 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 2022 | E. coli was confirmed in the water. E. coli means the water may have been contaminated with sewage or animal waste. Urgent public notice required What that means EPA record: Revised Total Coliform Rule · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, E. coli (RTCR) Resolved |
| May 2020 – Nov 2020 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 |
| Oct 2020 2 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 ) Archived |
| Jan 2016 – Jul 2020 14 times | The running annual average for TTHM was above the legal limit. EPA record: TTHM · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · measured 0.1 mg/l (limit 0.080 mg/L) Resolved |
| Jan 2016 – Jul 2020 14 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 0.062 mg/l (limit 0.060 mg/L) Resolved |
| Oct 2019 | 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 |
| Jan 2016 – Jan 2018 6 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 (limit TT ) 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 | 42.8 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chlorate | 1,115 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Vanadium | 19.1 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 3.02 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 0.64 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
Where it serves
Aguadilla, Rincón, Aguada, Moca
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 00647, 00726
Nearby utilities
- PRASA – Mayaguez Mayagüez · 16 mi
- PRASA – Arecibo Urbano Arecibo · 27 mi
- PRASA – Manati East Manatí · 44 mi · PFAS above limit
- PRASA – Ponce Urbano Ponce · 46 mi · PFAS above limit
- PRASA – Aruz Juana Díaz · 50 mi · PFAS above limit
- PRASA – Experimental Juana Díaz · 50 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is PRASA – Aguadilla water safe to drink?
PRASA – Aguadilla had 42 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 – Aguadilla water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of PRASA – Aguadilla found 5 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOS: PFOS 5.25 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in PRASA – Aguadilla water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for PRASA – Aguadilla is 6 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2015, 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 PR0003293: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID PR0003293).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask PRASA – Aguadilla 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.