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Tap water in Alabama: EPA PFAS results by water system

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.

What this page is: a plain-language restatement of public test results that the US EPA published for the water systems listed below, with the dates of the samples and the date we read them. It describes the system, not the water at your tap, which also depends on the pipes in your building. It is not a safety verdict, not medical advice and not a recommendation to buy anything: "buy nothing" is one of the outcomes in the cost section below. We earn nothing from any link on this page.

Systems with a page on this site

SystemPeople servedUCMR 5 result
Birmingham
Birmingham Water Works Board
653,322Detected, below the 2024 limit

Largest other systems sampled in Alabama

Pages for these are being added in stages. The data for all 307 systems is in the public dataset.

SystemPeople servedUCMR 5 result
Huntsville Utilities
Huntsville Utilities
310,107Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample
Mobile Board of Water and Sewer Comm.
Mobile Board of Water and Sewer Comm.
279,000None detected (below the reporting level)
Montgomery Water Works
Montgomery Water Works
276,000None detected (below the reporting level)
Tuscaloosa Water & Sewer
Tuscaloosa Water & Sewer
166,524None detected (below the reporting level)
Madison County Water Department
Madison County Water Department
119,100Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample
Dothan Utilities (City of)
Dothan Utilities (City of)
97,146None detected (below the reporting level)
Limestone County Water System
Limestone County Water System
90,900Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample
Bessemer Water Service
Bessemer Water Service
86,091Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample
Florence Water-Wastewater Department
Florence Water-Wastewater Department
77,766Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample
Decatur (Municipal Utilities Board of)
Decatur (Municipal Utilities Board of)
77,103Detected, below the 2024 limit
Auburn Water Works
Auburn Water Works
74,292Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample
Fairhope Water System (City of)
Fairhope Water System (City of)
59,850Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample
Cullman County Water Department
Cullman County Water Department
57,006None detected (below the reporting level)
Anniston Water & Sewer Board
Anniston Water & Sewer Board
56,865None detected (below the reporting level)
Opelika Utilities
Opelika Utilities
56,520Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample
Madison Water Works & Sewer
Madison Water Works & Sewer
54,114Detected, below the 2024 limit
Harvest-Monrovia Water System
Harvest-Monrovia Water System
51,915Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample
Foley (Utilities Board of the City of)
Foley (Utilities Board of the City of)
50,919None detected (below the reporting level)
Enterprise Water Works
Enterprise Water Works
48,000None detected (below the reporting level)
Northeast Alabama Water System
Northeast Alabama Water System
47,070Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample
Prattville (Water Works Board of)
Prattville (Water Works Board of)
46,614Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample
Phenix City Utilities
Phenix City Utilities
44,712Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample
Gadsden Water Works and Sewer Board
Gadsden Water Works and Sewer Board
44,637Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample
Us Army Garrison-Redstone Arsenal
Us Army Garrison-Redstone Arsenal
44,472Detected, below the 2024 limit
Athens Utilities
Athens Utilities
43,431None detected (below the reporting level)
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