Westerly Water Department water quality
Westerly, RI · serves 35,298 people (14,800 connections) · Groundwater · Local government · EPA ID RI1559512
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 limitPFOA, PFOS above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOA 7.5 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, PFOS 6 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Below action level3.6 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
- None health-basedNo health-based violations since 2016.
- 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.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read Westerly Water Department'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 (401) 348-2561. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 7 entry points tested May 2025 to Sep 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 Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 7.5 ppt 1.88× the limit |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 6 ppt 1.5× 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 | 0.0015 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 3 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 5 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 4 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 3 ppt |
| PFHpA Detected, no limit | 1.5 ppt |
Rhode Island has its own PFAS limits. the sum of PFOA + PFOS + PFHxS + PFNA + PFHpA + PFDA must stay at or below 20 ppt (this system's highest averages add up to 15 ppt). State compliance is judged on the state's own sampling, so ask the utility or the state program whether it meets them.
For context: the PFOA average is higher than at 88% of the Rhode Island systems EPA tested and the PFOS average is higher than at 96% of the Rhode Island systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 7 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 14 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 3.6 ppb lead (Jan 2026 – now (in progress)). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 16.7 ppb (Dec 2024).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2026 – now (in progress) | 3.6 ppb |
| Jul 2025 – Dec 2025 | 5.1 ppb |
| Jan 2025 – Jun 2025 | 6.9 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2022 – Dec 2024 | 16.7 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2021 | 9.7 ppb |
| Jan 2016 – Dec 2018 | 9.48 ppb |
| Jan 2015 – Dec 2015 | 8 ppb |
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2014 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2013 | 6 ppb |
| Jul 2012 – Dec 2012 | 9 ppb |
| Jan 2012 – Jun 2012 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2011 | 17 ppb |
Copper 90th percentile: 1.7 ppm (Dec 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
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 | 360 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.085 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chromium-6 | 0.26 ppb | – |
| Chlorate | 82 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 2.8 ppb | 40 ppb |
Where it serves
Westerly
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 02808, 02891, 06379
Nearby utilities
- Kingston Water District South Kingstown · 14 mi · PFAS above limit
- South Kingstown-South Shore Water System South Kingstown · 14 mi · PFAS above limit
- University of Rhode Island Water System South Kingstown · 14 mi · PFAS above limit
- Kent County Water Authority West Greenwich · 19 mi · PFAS above limit
- Town of North Kingstown North Kingstown · 23 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Warwick Warwick · 30 mi
Questions
Is Westerly Water Department water safe to drink?
Westerly Water Department has no health-based violations since 2016. 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 Westerly Water Department water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Westerly Water Department found 7 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA and PFOS: PFOA 7.5 ppt, PFOS 6 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Westerly Water Department water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Westerly Water Department is 3.6 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:
- EPA's own report for RI1559512: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID RI1559512).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Westerly Water Department at (401) 348-2561, 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.