Drinking water quality · 2024
· Verified
What's in South Bend, IN tap water
24 contaminants were measured in the South Bend, IN water system's 2024 annual report. Each is shown below against its federal limit.
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Contaminants measured
- 24
- Over federal limit
- 0
- Approaching the limit
- 0
- Service area
- IN
PFAS — EPA UCMR5 (2023–2025)
2 PFAS compounds above EPA limits in South Bend, IN
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.
PFHxS (Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid)
● Over EPA limit (2.6×)2.1× the national p90 (12.049999999999997 ng/L across detecting U.S. systems)
PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid)
● Over EPA limit (2.5×)near national p90 (13.649999999999999 ng/L across detecting U.S. systems)
PFHxA
● Detected (no federal limit)above national p90 (12.190000000000003 ng/L across detecting U.S. systems)
PFHpA
● Detected (no federal limit)near national p90 (9.309999999999999 ng/L across detecting U.S. systems)
PFPeS
● Detected (no federal limit)below national p90 (0.0285 µg/L across detecting U.S. systems)
PFBS
● Detected (no federal limit)near national p90 (13.909999999999979 ng/L across detecting U.S. systems)
PFBA
● Detected (no federal limit)above national p90 (18 ng/L across detecting U.S. systems)
PFPeA
● Detected (no federal limit)2.5× the national p90 (15.95999999999999 ng/L across detecting U.S. systems)
Where your water comes from · EPA SDWIS
South Bend, IN's drinking water comes from ground water, drawn from 29 sources.
Source
- WELL #36 - CLEVELAND NORTH
- WELL #35 - CLEVELAND NORTH
- WELL #34 - EDISON
- WELL #40 - SOUTH STATION
- + 25 more
Treatment
- TREATMENT PLANT #11 - CLEVELAND NORTH
- TREATMENT PLANT #10 - SOUTH
- TREATMENT PLANT #2 - CARRIAGE
- + 6 more
Distribution
Historical readings · EPA Six-Year Review (2012–2019)
22 historically-detected contaminants in South Bend, IN
Every U.S. public water system reports compliance-monitoring data to EPA. The Six-Year Review releases the 2012–2019 window as a single dataset — here's what your system reported, year by year. Values shown are the highest detection per analyte per year, compared to the federal MCL.
| Contaminant | Worst detection | EPA limit | Years (2012–2019) |
|---|---|---|---|
NITRATE worst: 2016 | 9.2 mg/L 92% | 10 mg/L | '12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19 |
NITRATE NITRITE worst: 2014 | 7 mg/L within | 10 mg/L | '14 |
TTHM worst: 2018 | 0.0466 mg/L within | 0.08 mg/L | '12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19 |
GROSS ALPHA worst: 2019 | 8.3 pCi/L within | 15 pCi/L | '16'19 |
ARSENIC worst: 2017 | 0.0049 mg/L within below national p90 | 0.01 mg/L | '12'14'17 |
CARBON TETRACHLORIDE worst: 2017 | 0.0016 mg/L within below national p90 | 0.005 mg/L | '17 |
FLUORIDE worst: 2016 | 1.1 mg/L within | 4 mg/L | '14'16'17'18'19 |
RADIUM 226 228 worst: 2019 | 1.25 pCi/L within below national p90 | 5 pCi/L | '19 |
TCE worst: 2019 | 0.001 mg/L within | 0.005 mg/L | '17'18'19 |
PCE worst: 2014 | 0.0008 mg/L within | 0.005 mg/L | '14'17 |
HAA5 worst: 2015 | 0.0086 mg/L within | 0.06 mg/L | '12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19 |
BARIUM worst: 2017 | 0.26 mg/L within above national p90 | 2 mg/L | '14'17'19 |
CIS DICHLOROETHYLENE 12 worst: 2017 | 0.0065 mg/L within near national p90 | 0.07 mg/L | '12'14'16'17'18'19 |
SELENIUM worst: 2014 | 0.0025 mg/L within | 0.05 mg/L | '14 |
CHROMIUM worst: 2014 | 0.0034 mg/L within below national p90 | 0.1 mg/L | '14'17'19 |
TRICHLOROETHANE 111 worst: 2017 | 0.0009 mg/L within below national p90 | 0.2 mg/L | '16'17 |
COPPER worst: 2018 | 0.0005 mg/L below national p90 | — | '18'19 |
LEAD worst: 2018 | 0.0023 mg/L | — | '18'19 |
BROMODICHLOROMETHANE worst: 2012 | 0.002 mg/L | — | '12'14'17'18'19 |
BROMOFORM worst: 2012 | 0.001 mg/L | — | '12'14'17'19 |
CHLOROFORM worst: 2012 | 0.001 mg/L | — | '12'14'17'19 |
DIBROMOCHLOROMETHANE worst: 2012 | 0.0024 mg/L | — | '12'14'17'18'19 |
Disinfectants
| Contaminant | Measured | Federal limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChlorineA disinfectant added to drinking water to kill bacteria and viruses. | 1 mg/LRunning annual avgRolling Annual Average | 4 mg/LMRDLG | Within the limit |
+By source (3)— of Individual Results, Rolling Annual Average, of Rolling Annual Averages
| |||
Metals
| Contaminant | Measured | Federal limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chromium, TotalTotal chromium — the sum of all chromium forms, from natural deposits and industrial discharge. | 1.3 ug/LAverageSystem-wide | 100 ug/LMCLG | Within the limit |
| NickelA metal from natural deposits and industrial discharge. | Not detected ug/LAverageSystem-wide | 100 ug/LMCLG | Within the limit |
Microbial
| Contaminant | Measured | Federal limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Escherichia coli (E. coli)Escherichia coli — bacteria found in the gut of humans and animals. | 0Reported levelSystem-wide | 0MCLG | None detected |
| Total ColiformA group of bacteria used as an indicator of overall water-system sanitation. | 5 %Reported levelSystem-wide | 0 %MCLG | Detected — no federal limit |
VOCs & pesticides
| Contaminant | Measured | Federal limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| TrichloroethyleneAn industrial solvent (TCE) used in metal degreasing. | Not detected ug/LAverageSystem-wide | 5 ug/LMCLG | Within the limit |
Radionuclides
| Contaminant | Measured | Federal limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Combined RadiumCombined radium-226 and radium-228 — naturally occurring radioactive elements. | 0.86 pCi/LAverageSystem-wide | 0 pCi/LMCLG | Detected — no federal limit |
People also ask about South Bend, IN's water
+Is South Bend, IN tap water safe to drink in 2024?
Every one of the 24 contaminants measured in South Bend, IN's 2024 Consumer Confidence Report is below its federal limit. "Safe" under the EPA's drinking-water standards is health-based, not aesthetic — but by those standards, no measured contaminant in this report exceeds its enforceable threshold. Individual health concerns (e.g. immunocompromised, infant, pregnancy) may warrant additional filtering regardless of compliance.
+What contaminants are in South Bend, IN tap water?
24 contaminants were measured in South Bend, IN's 2024 Consumer Confidence Report, spanning pfas ("forever chemicals"), metals, and disinfection byproducts. 16 have an enforceable federal limit; the rest are detected but unregulated. Every measured value, in the utility's own units, is on this page.
+Where does the data on this page come from?
Every value is transcribed from South Bend, IN's 2024 Consumer Confidence Report — the annual drinking-water report every U.S. public water utility is required by federal law to publish. The original source document is archived and viewable on this site. A water-quality report covers an entire service area, not a single address.
+How often is South Bend, IN's water quality data updated?
Each U.S. public water utility publishes one Consumer Confidence Report per year, covering the prior calendar year's measurements. This page reflects the 2024 report; a new report will replace it once the utility publishes its next annual update.