Is Providence, RI tap water safe?
Supplied by City of Providence · serves 333,142 people (79,554 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID RI1592024
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Providence gets its water from City of Providence. Parts of the city are served by a smaller system: Bethany Home of Rhode Island Water System (83 people). Your water bill names your system.
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Not detectedNone of 29 PFAS found above EPA's reporting limits in 4 samples (2023–2025).
- Lead
- Below action level1.7 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 Jul 2026 – now, still in progress (results reported so far). Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved1 health-based violation since 2016, most recently Jul 2018.
- 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.
- 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 City of Providence's 2026 water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (401) 521-6300.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 1 entry point tested Jan 2024 to Oct 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 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 | – |
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, 0 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: 1.7 ppb lead (Jul 2026 – now (in progress)). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 22 ppb (Dec 2018).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jul 2026 – now (in progress) | 1.7 ppb |
| Jan 2026 – Jun 2026 | 1.6 ppb |
| Jul 2025 – Dec 2025 | 1.6 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2025 – Jun 2025 | 1.6 ppb |
| Jul 2024 – Dec 2024 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2024 – Jun 2024 | 2.2 ppb |
| Jul 2023 – Dec 2023 | 2.2 ppb |
| Jan 2023 – Jun 2023 | 3.4 ppb |
| Jul 2022 – Dec 2022 | 3.3 ppb |
| Jan 2022 – Jun 2022 | 5.6 ppb |
| Jul 2021 – Dec 2021 | 10.5 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Jun 2021 | 8.8 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 |
|---|---|
| Jul 2018 | The running annual average for TTHM was above the legal limit. EPA record: TTHM · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · measured 0.082 mg/l (limit 0.080 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 | 1.31 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Vanadium | 0.42 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.028 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chromium-6 | 0.031 ppb | – |
Where it serves
Providence, Cranston, Johnston, North Providence
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 02857, 02860, 02865, 02893, 02903, 02904, 02905, 02906, 02907, 02908, 02909, 02910, 02911, 02912, 02917, 02919, 02920, 02921
Nearby utilities
- Pawtucket Water Supply Board Veolia-Na Pawtucket · 4 mi
- City of Warwick Warwick · 8 mi
- Town of Cumberland Cumberland · 10 mi · PFAS above limit
- Town of North Kingstown North Kingstown · 17 mi · PFAS above limit
- Kent County Water Authority West Greenwich · 18 mi · PFAS above limit
- Kingston Water District South Kingstown · 29 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Providence tap water safe to drink?
Most of Providence gets its water from City of Providence. City of Providence 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 Providence water have PFAS?
EPA tested City of Providence for 29 PFAS between Jan 2024 and Oct 2024 and none were detected above the reporting limits (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical).
What is the lead level in Providence water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for City of Providence is 1.7 ppb, for the monitoring period that began Jul 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 RI1592024: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID RI1592024).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- City of Providence's 2026 water quality report: the utility's own annual report, including contaminants EPA's national database doesn't carry (link checked Nov 14, 2026). Phone: (401) 521-6300.
- City of Providence website
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.