Pleasants County Public Service District water quality
St. Marys, WV · serves 2,357 people (893 connections) · Purchased groundwater · Local government · EPA ID WV3303707
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Buys water from Saint Marys Water System. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
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 above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOA 9.55 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Below action level0.47 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 ending Dec 2025. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved1 health-based violation since 2016, most recently Jun 2017.
- 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 Pleasants County Public Service District'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 (304) 665-2011. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 1 entry point tested Feb 2023 to Aug 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 Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 9.55 ppt 2.39× the limit |
| 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) Detected, below limit Limit 1 | 0.0024 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 4.8 ppt |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Not detected Guideline 3,000 ppt | – |
For context: the PFOA average is higher than at 95% of the West Virginia systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 2 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 2 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 0.47 ppb lead (Jan 2025 – Dec 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 3.1 ppb (Dec 2020).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2025 – Dec 2025 | 0.47 ppb |
| Jan 2024 – Dec 2024 | 0.5 ppb |
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2023 | 0.82 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2022 – Dec 2022 | 2.3 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2021 | 1.4 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2020 | 3.1 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2019 | 2.4 ppb |
| Jan 2018 – Dec 2018 | 1.2 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2017 | 1.5 ppb |
| Jan 2016 – Dec 2016 | 1.7 ppb |
| Jan 2015 – Jun 2015 | 1.7 ppb |
| Jan 2014 – Jun 2014 | 1.5 ppb |
Copper 90th percentile: 1.86 ppm (Jun 2013), 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
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Jun 2017 | An inspection found a significant problem (such as a damaged well or storage tank) that was not fixed on time. EPA record: Groundwater Rule · Failure To Address Deficiency (limit ) Resolved |
2 unresolved monitoring or reporting violations: Consumer Confidence Rule, Public Notice.
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.
Where it serves
St. Marys
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 26170
Nearby utilities
- Union Williams Public Service District Waverly · 10 mi · PFAS above limit
- Williamstown Water Dept Williamstown · 13 mi · PFAS above limit
- Pennsboro Water System Pennsboro · 15 mi · PFAS above limit
- Parkersburg Utility Board Parkersburg · 20 mi · PFAS above limit
- Mineral Wells Public Service District Mineralwells · 22 mi · PFAS above limit
- New Martinsville Water System New Martinsville · 25 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Pleasants County Public Service District water safe to drink?
Pleasants County Public Service District had 1 health-based violation 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 Pleasants County Public Service District water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Pleasants County Public Service District found 2 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA: PFOA 9.55 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Pleasants County Public Service District water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Pleasants County Public Service District is 0.47 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2025. 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 WV3303707: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID WV3303707).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Pleasants County Public Service District at (304) 665-2011, 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.