Drinking water quality · 2024
· Verified
· PWSID GA2150000
What's in Columbus, GA tap water
Only 7 of 27 core regulated contaminants were reported for Columbus, GA. What was measured is not clean — but most of the picture is missing.
- !2 contaminants at or above a federal limit — worst is PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid) at 8.5x
- !1 contaminant within 20% of a limit
- !7 of 27 core regulated contaminants reported — 20 never appear in this report
- ✓No open federal violations
+How this score is calculated
Every system starts at 100. Points come off for measured levels, for the federal violation record, and for how much of the core regulated set the utility actually reported. All three inputs are the utility's own published numbers and EPA's own records.
- −60 contaminants at or above a federal limit
- −4 contaminants within 20% of a limit
- −0 open health-based violations
- −0 open monitoring / reporting violations
- −0 health-based violations resolved in the last 5 years
- −19 core regulated contaminants never reported (7/27)
A 90–100 · B 80–89 · C 70–79 · D 60–69 · F below 60. A system reporting under a third of the core set is capped at C however clean its numbers look — a short report is not a clean bill of health.
Full grading methodology, constant for constant →What to worry about
- PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid)8.5× the federal limit33.9 ng/L · limit 4 ng/L
Linked to cancer, liver damage, and immune effects; the EPA set an enforceable limit of 4 parts per trillion.
higher than 95% of U.S. systems
- PFOS (Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid)2.1× the federal limit8.4 ng/L · limit 4 ng/L
Linked to cancer, thyroid disease, and immune effects; the EPA set an enforceable limit of 4 parts per trillion.
higher than 75% of U.S. systems
- Chlorine94% of the federal limit1.6–3.76 mg/L · limit 4 mg/L
Effective and necessary, but high residual levels can cause taste and odor issues; the EPA caps the residual disinfectant level.
higher than 95% of U.S. systems
+14 contaminants were measured and came in below the limitShow all
| Contaminant | Measured | Federal limit |
|---|---|---|
| PFHxS (Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid) | 4.7 ng/L | 10 ng/L |
| Chlorite | 0.07–0.28 mg/L | 1 mg/L |
| Fluoride | 0.24–0.98 mg/L | 4 mg/L |
| Copper | 0.16 mg/L | 1.3 mg/L |
| Nitrate | 0.4–0.57 mg/L | 10 mg/L |
| Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid | 0.18 ng/L | 10 ng/L |
| Total Coliform | 2 | 0 |
| TOC | 1.4–2 | — |
| Turbidity | 0.02–0.08 | — |
| PFBA | 5.7 ng/L | — |
| PFPeA | 9.6 ng/L | — |
| PFBS | 5 ng/L | — |
| PFHpA | 8.3 ng/L | — |
| PFHxA | 9.1 ng/L | — |
What this report doesn't tell you
20 of the 27 contaminants a community water system normally reports do not appear anywhere in Columbus, GA's data. Absent is not the same as absent-from-the-water — it means nobody published a number.
+Full detail: PFAS testing, water source, historical monitoring, and the federal violation record
PFAS — EPA UCMR5 (2023–2025)
2 PFAS compounds above EPA limits in Columbus, GA
The EPA finalized the first-ever federal drinking-water limits for six PFAS compounds in April 2024. These numbers come straight from EPA's UCMR5 lab dataset — every U.S. system serving more than 3,300 people tested every PFAS sample at an entry point to its distribution system. PFAS not listed below were either tested and not detected, or not yet sampled.
PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid)
● Over EPA limit (8.5×)PFOS (Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid)
● Over EPA limit (2.1×)PFHxS (Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid)
● Below limitPFBA
● Detected (no federal limit)PFPeA
● Detected (no federal limit)PFBS
● Detected (no federal limit)PFHpA
● Detected (no federal limit)PFHxA
● Detected (no federal limit)Where your water comes from · EPA SDWIS
Columbus, GA's drinking water comes from surface water, drawn from 2 sources.
Source
- LAKE OLIVER
- CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER
Treatment
- COLUMBUS WATER PLANT
- FORT BENNING WATER PLANT
Distribution
Compliance history
Federal Safe Drinking Water Act violation & enforcement records (EPA SDWIS). A violation is a regulatory determination by the state or EPA — separate from the measured levels above.