256 public water systems in Georgia were sampled in EPA's UCMR 5 programme (2023–2025); we show six PFAS and lithium. Read 2026-10-31.
43 of 256 systems had at least one sample above a 2024 federal limit; 96 had at least one PFAS found above the reporting level; 160 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 8,118,054 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Atlanta | 1,089,893 | Detected, below the 2024 limit |
| Gwinnett Co. Dept. of Water Resources Gwinnett Co. Dept. of Water Resources | 975,000 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Dekalb County Dekalb County | 743,000 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Cobb County Cobb County | 695,000 | Detected, below the 2024 limit |
| North Fulton County North Fulton County | 434,517 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
Pages for these are being added in stages. The data for all 256 systems is in the public dataset.
| System | People served | UCMR 5 result |
|---|---|---|
| Clayton County Water Authority Clayton County Water Authority | 298,374 | Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample |
| Columbus Columbus | 229,000 | Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample |
| Cherokee County Cherokee County | 224,427 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Augusta-Richmond Co Ws Augusta-Richmond Co Ws | 204,000 | Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample |
| Henry County Water Authority, Ga Henry County Water Authority, Ga | 187,437 | Detected, below the 2024 limit |
| Savannah-Main Savannah-Main | 168,958 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Forsyth Co. Water & Sewer Forsyth Co. Water & Sewer | 161,200 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Gainesville Gainesville | 140,000 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Douglasville-Douglas County Wsa Douglasville-Douglas County Wsa | 127,084 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Athens-Clarke Co Water System Athens-Clarke Co Water System | 125,000 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Columbia County Columbia County | 124,763 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Paulding County Water System Paulding County Water System | 117,468 | Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample |
| Albany Albany | 101,245 | Detected, below the 2024 limit |
| Dalton Utilities Dalton Utilities | 99,315 | Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample |
| Houston County-Feagin Mill Houston County-Feagin Mill | 92,971 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Coweta Water & Sewer Auth. Coweta Water & Sewer Auth. | 92,907 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Rockdale Co. Water System Rockdale Co. Water System | 87,156 | Detected, below the 2024 limit |
| Fayette County Fayette County | 86,934 | Detected, below the 2024 limit |
| Warner Robins Warner Robins | 83,705 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Newton Co. Water-Sewerage Auth Newton Co. Water-Sewerage Auth | 74,364 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Bartow County Bartow County | 70,243 | Detected, below the 2024 limit |
| Marietta Marietta | 60,100 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Catoosa Util. Dist. Authority Catoosa Util. Dist. Authority | 59,643 | Detected, below the 2024 limit |
| Cumming Cumming | 58,661 | None detected (below the reporting level) |
| Calhoun Calhoun | 53,090 | Above the 2024 limit in at least one sample |