307 public water systems in Alabama were sampled in EPA's UCMR 5 programme (2023–2025); we show six PFAS and lithium. Read 2026-10-31.
81 of 307 systems had at least one sample above a 2024 federal limit; 149 had at least one PFAS found above the reporting level; 158 had none found above the reporting level.
A single sample above a 2024 limit is a measurement, not a violation. Compliance is judged on running yearly averages, and water systems have until 2029 to meet the limits. On 20 May 2026 EPA proposed giving qualifying systems until 2031 for PFOA and PFOS and removing the limits for PFHxS, PFNA and HFPO-DA; those proposals were not final when we last checked (5 Nov 2026). Counts are per system, not per person; population figures are available only for systems serving more than 25,000 people (about 3,995,619 people across those systems here). UCMR 5 was a one-time national monitoring programme (2023–2025). The results are a snapshot at the system's entry points or taps on the sample dates, not a continuous measurement and not a compliance record.
| System | People served | UCMR 5 result |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham Birmingham Water Works Board | 653,322 | Detected, below the 2024 limit |
Pages for these are being added in stages. The data for all 307 systems is in the public dataset.
| System | People served | UCMR 5 result |
|---|---|---|
| Huntsville Utilities Huntsville Utilities | 310,107 | Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample |
| Mobile Board of Water and Sewer Comm. Mobile Board of Water and Sewer Comm. | 279,000 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Montgomery Water Works Montgomery Water Works | 276,000 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Tuscaloosa Water & Sewer Tuscaloosa Water & Sewer | 166,524 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Madison County Water Department Madison County Water Department | 119,100 | Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample |
| Dothan Utilities (City of) Dothan Utilities (City of) | 97,146 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Limestone County Water System Limestone County Water System | 90,900 | Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample |
| Bessemer Water Service Bessemer Water Service | 86,091 | Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample |
| Florence Water-Wastewater Department Florence Water-Wastewater Department | 77,766 | Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample |
| Decatur (Municipal Utilities Board of) Decatur (Municipal Utilities Board of) | 77,103 | Detected, below the 2024 limit |
| Auburn Water Works Auburn Water Works | 74,292 | Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample |
| Fairhope Water System (City of) Fairhope Water System (City of) | 59,850 | Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample |
| Cullman County Water Department Cullman County Water Department | 57,006 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Anniston Water & Sewer Board Anniston Water & Sewer Board | 56,865 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Opelika Utilities Opelika Utilities | 56,520 | Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample |
| Madison Water Works & Sewer Madison Water Works & Sewer | 54,114 | Detected, below the 2024 limit |
| Harvest-Monrovia Water System Harvest-Monrovia Water System | 51,915 | Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample |
| Foley (Utilities Board of the City of) Foley (Utilities Board of the City of) | 50,919 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Enterprise Water Works Enterprise Water Works | 48,000 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Northeast Alabama Water System Northeast Alabama Water System | 47,070 | Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample |
| Prattville (Water Works Board of) Prattville (Water Works Board of) | 46,614 | Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample |
| Phenix City Utilities Phenix City Utilities | 44,712 | Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample |
| Gadsden Water Works and Sewer Board Gadsden Water Works and Sewer Board | 44,637 | Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample |
| Us Army Garrison-Redstone Arsenal Us Army Garrison-Redstone Arsenal | 44,472 | Detected, below the 2024 limit |
| Athens Utilities Athens Utilities | 43,431 | None detected (below the reporting level) |