Is Pawtucket, RI tap water safe?
Supplied by Pawtucket Water Supply Board Veolia-Na · serves 98,130 people (23,559 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID RI1592021
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Detected, below limit1 of 29 PFAS found at least once. All averages below the federal limits.
- Lead
- Below action level0 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.
- 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 Pawtucket Water Supply Board Veolia-Na'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) 789-0271. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 1 entry point tested Mar 2023 to Dec 2023. "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 Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| 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 | 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 0 ppt). State compliance is judged on the state's own sampling, so ask the utility or the state program whether it meets them.
29 PFAS tested, 1 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 4 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 0 ppb lead (Jan 2026 – now (in progress)). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 2 ppb (Dec 2019).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2026 – now (in progress) | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2025 | 1.3 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2022 | 0 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2019 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2016 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2013 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 1 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2007 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Dec 2005 | 5.5 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2002 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2001 – Dec 2001 | 7 ppb |
| Jan 2000 – Dec 2000 | 5 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 | 43.7 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.16 ppb | – |
| Chlorate | 450 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.085 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Vanadium | 1 ppb | 21 ppb |
Where it serves
Pawtucket, Cumberland, Central Falls
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 02860, 02861, 02862, 02863, 02864
Nearby utilities
- City of Providence Providence · 4 mi
- Town of Cumberland Cumberland · 7 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Warwick Warwick · 12 mi
- Town of North Kingstown North Kingstown · 21 mi · PFAS above limit
- Kent County Water Authority West Greenwich · 22 mi · PFAS above limit
- Kingston Water District South Kingstown · 33 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Pawtucket tap water safe to drink?
Most of Pawtucket gets its water from Pawtucket Water Supply Board Veolia-Na. Pawtucket Water Supply Board Veolia-Na has no health-based violations since 2016. 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 Pawtucket water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Pawtucket Water Supply Board Veolia-Na found 1 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in Pawtucket water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Pawtucket Water Supply Board Veolia-Na is 0 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 RI1592021: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID RI1592021).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Pawtucket Water Supply Board Veolia-Na at (401) 789-0271, 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.