Is Wheeling, WV tap water safe?
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Summary
Wheeling Water System has 2 unresolved health-based violations on record.
Is it an emergency? No: these findings are about longer-term exposure, and nothing in EPA's data calls for you to stop drinking the water today. If your utility issues a boil-water or do-not-drink notice, follow it.
Wheeling Water System supplies Wheeling (29,899 people).
Water system
Wheeling Water System
29,899 people · Surface water · EPA ID WV3303516
| PFAS | Highest average | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| PFOA Not detected | – | 4 ppt |
| PFOS Not detected | – | 4 ppt |
| PFHxS Detected, below limit | 0.82 ppt | 10 ppt |
| PFNA Not detected | – | 10 ppt |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected | – | 10 ppt |
ppt = parts per trillion. "Highest average" is the highest average at any of the system's entry points, the way EPA compares results with the limits.
Lead: 0 ppb at the 90th percentile (Dec 2025, and 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below it) Below action level
Health-based violations since 2016: 4
Across West Virginia, 10 of 99 water systems EPA tested had PFAS above a 2024 federal limit, and 2 systems were above the lead action level in results from the last five years. West Virginia results.
Wheeling homes and lead pipes
Lead service lines and lead solder were allowed until 1986, so homes from before then are the ones to check. Renting? Ask your landlord what the service line is made of, because it's their pipe to replace. How to check your own line.
Housing: Census American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for Wheeling city (tables B25034, B25003). Estimates for small places have a margin of error.
How nearby cities compare
| City | PFAS | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|---|
| Morgantown 50 mi Morgantown Utility Board | None above limits | 0.38 ppb |
| Parkersburg 72 mi Parkersburg Utility Board | Above limit | 0.44 ppb |
| Charleston 129 mi West Virginia American Water – Kanawha Valley District | None above limits | 0 ppb |
| Huntington 147 mi West Virginia American Water – Huntington District | None above limits | 1 ppb |
Wheeling ZIP codes (1)
- 26003
Questions
Is Wheeling tap water safe to drink?
Wheeling Water System had 4 health-based violations since 2016. Utility data can't show lead from your own pipes: if your home was built before 1986, test your tap. Your utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report is the official summary.
Who supplies water in Wheeling, WV?
Wheeling Water System, which serves 29,899 people.
Does Wheeling tap water have PFAS?
Wheeling Water System had 2 PFAS detected at least once in EPA's 2023–2025 testing, all with averages below the federal limits.
Do Wheeling homes have lead pipes?
Census estimates put 84% of Wheeling homes as built before 1980 (West Virginia: 56%). Lead service lines and lead solder were allowed until 1986, so older homes are more likely to have them. Wheeling Water System's service line inventory says what your line is made of. The only way to know for your home is to check the line where it enters the house and test your tap.
Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.