PRASA – Ponce Urbano water quality
Ponce, PR · serves 113,972 people (42,686 connections) · Surface water · Local government · EPA ID PR0003824
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, PFHxS, the PFAS Hazard Index above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOS 25.3 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, PFHxS 15 ppt vs a limit of 10 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lithium
- Above screening levelHighest result 25.3 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 2014 (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
- Resolved40 health-based violations since 2016, most recently Jan 2024. 19 required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Jan 2024. 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 – Ponce 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: 23 entry points tested Jun 2023 to Mar 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.
| Contaminant | Highest average |
|---|---|
| PFOA One sample above limit Limit 4 ppt | 2.55 ppt 64% of the limit |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 25.3 ppt 6.33× the limit |
| PFHxS Above limit Limit 10 ppt | 15 ppt 1.5× the limit |
| 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) Above limit Limit 1 | 1.5 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 8.95 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 3.55 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 3.6 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 3.7 ppt |
| PFDoA Detected, no limit | 1.6 ppt |
For context: the PFOS average is higher than at 97% of the Puerto Rico systems EPA tested and the PFHxS average is higher than at 98% 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
Detected in 4 of 52 samples. Highest result 25.3 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 2014 – Dec 2014). No results since 2014
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 2014 – Dec 2014 | 6 ppb |
| Jul 2013 – Dec 2013 | 7 ppb |
| Jul 2012 – Dec 2012 | 10 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jul 2011 – Dec 2011 | 9 ppb |
| Jul 2010 – Dec 2010 | 6 ppb |
| Jul 2009 – Dec 2009 | 7 ppb |
| Jul 2008 – Dec 2008 | 3 ppb |
| Jul 2007 – Dec 2007 | 3.9 ppb |
| Jan 2007 – Jun 2007 | 4 ppb |
| Jul 2005 – Dec 2005 | 5 ppb |
| Jul 2004 – Dec 2004 | 2.1 ppb |
| Jul 2003 – Dec 2003 | 4.8 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 |
|---|---|
| Mar 2019 – Jan 2024 12 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 |
| Oct 2018 – Aug 2023 7 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 |
| Jul 2016 – Jan 2019 7 times | The running annual average for TTHM was above the legal limit. EPA record: TTHM · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · measured 0.095 mg/l (limit 0.080 mg/L) Resolved |
| Apr 2017 – Jan 2019 9 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 |
| Oct 2016 – Jan 2019 5 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 0.068 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 | 39.8 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Strontium | 2.06 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Vanadium | 11.8 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 4.43 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Chlorate | 61.5 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 1.6 ppb | – |
Where it serves
Ponce, Peñuelas
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 00726, 00731
Nearby utilities
- PRASA – Aruz Juana Díaz · 9 mi · PFAS above limit
- PRASA – Experimental Juana Díaz · 9 mi · PFAS above limit
- PRASA – Jacaguas Juana Díaz · 9 mi · PFAS above limit
- PRASA – Santa Isabel Urbano Santa Isabel · 15 mi · PFAS above limit
- PRASA – Salinas Urbano Salinas · 22 mi · PFAS above limit
- PRASA – Las Bocas Barranquitas · 24 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is PRASA – Ponce Urbano water safe to drink?
PRASA – Ponce Urbano had 40 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 – Ponce Urbano water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of PRASA – Ponce Urbano found 8 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOS and PFHxS: PFOS 25.3 ppt, PFHxS 15 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in PRASA – Ponce Urbano water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for PRASA – Ponce Urbano is 6 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2014, 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 PR0003824: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID PR0003824).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask PRASA – Ponce 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.