Drinking water quality · 2024
· Verified
What's in Louisville, KY tap water
19 contaminants were measured in the Louisville, KY water system's 2024 annual report. Each is shown below against its federal limit.
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Contaminants measured
- 19
- Over federal limit
- 0
- Approaching the limit
- 0
- Service area
- KY
PFAS — EPA UCMR5 (2023–2025)
1 PFAS compound above EPA limits in Louisville, KY
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 (1.9×)near national p90 (13.649999999999999 ng/L across detecting U.S. systems)
PFPeA
● Detected (no federal limit)below national p90 (15.95999999999999 ng/L across detecting U.S. systems)
PFHxA
● Detected (no federal limit)below national p90 (12.190000000000003 ng/L across detecting U.S. systems)
PFBS
● Detected (no federal limit)below national p90 (13.909999999999979 ng/L across detecting U.S. systems)
Where your water comes from · EPA SDWIS
Louisville, KY's drinking water comes from ground water, drawn from 7 sources.
Source
- BE PAYNE · 5
- INTAKE - OHIO RIVER TPA
- INTAKE - OHIO RIVER TPB
Treatment
- B E PAYNE WTP
- CRESCENT HILL WTP
Distribution
Historical readings · EPA Six-Year Review (2012–2019)
1 contaminant historically over EPA limits in Louisville, KY
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
HAA5 worst: 2014 | 0.068 mg/L 1.1× | 0.06 mg/L | '12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19 |
TTHM worst: 2016 | 0.0462 mg/L within | 0.08 mg/L | '12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19 |
CHLORITE worst: 2015 | 0.57 mg/L within | 1 mg/L | '15'16'17'19 |
RADIUM 226 228 worst: 2014 | 1.7 pCi/L within below national p90 | 5 pCi/L | '13'14'15'17 |
FLUORIDE worst: 2012 | 1 mg/L within | 4 mg/L | '12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19 |
GROSS ALPHA worst: 2017 | 3.4 pCi/L within | 15 pCi/L | '17 |
NITRATE worst: 2014 | 1.6 mg/L within | 10 mg/L | '12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19 |
NITRATE NITRITE worst: 2014 | 1.6 mg/L within | 10 mg/L | '12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19 |
ATRAZINE worst: 2012 | 0.00024 mg/L within below national p90 | 0.003 mg/L | '12 |
TWOFOURD worst: 2018 | 0.0003 mg/L within below national p90 | 0.07 mg/L | '18 |
COPPER worst: 2014 | 0.132 mg/L below national p90 | — | '14'17 |
LEAD worst: 2014 | 0.0135 mg/L | — | '14'17 |
Disinfectants
| Contaminant | Measured | Federal limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChlorineA disinfectant added to drinking water to kill bacteria and viruses. | 2.71 mg/LAverageSystem-wide | 4 mg/LMRDL | Within the limit |
Metals
| Contaminant | Measured | Federal limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| BariumA metal from erosion of natural deposits and industrial discharge. | 0.024 mg/LAverageCh | 2 mg/LMCL | Within the limit |
| Chromium, TotalTotal chromium — the sum of all chromium forms, from natural deposits and industrial discharge. | 1.1 ug/LAverageBep | 100 ug/LMCL | Within the limit |
| NickelA metal from natural deposits and industrial discharge. | 0.0013 mg/LAverageCh | None set | Detected — no federal limit |
Inorganic chemicals
| Contaminant | Measured | Federal limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| NitriteA compound from fertilizer runoff, sewage, and erosion of natural deposits. | 0.01 mg/LMaximumCh | 1 mg/LMCL | Within the limit |
PFAS ("forever chemicals")
| Contaminant | Measured | Federal limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acidHFPO-DA ('GenX chemicals'), a newer-generation PFAS replacement compound. | 0Reported levelCrescent Hill Water Treatment Plant | 10MCL | None detected |
+By source (2)— Crescent Hill Water Treatment Plant, B.E. Payne Water Treatment Plant
| |||
| Perfluorohexanesulfonic acidPerfluorohexanesulfonic acid, a PFAS 'forever chemical.' | 0Reported levelB.E. Payne Water Treatment Plant | 10MCL | None detected |
+By source (2)— B.E. Payne Water Treatment Plant, Crescent Hill Water Treatment Plant
| |||
| Perfluorononanoic acidPerfluorononanoic acid, a PFAS 'forever chemical.' | 0Reported levelB.E. Payne Water Treatment Plant | 10MCL | None detected |
+By source (2)— B.E. Payne Water Treatment Plant, Crescent Hill Water Treatment Plant
| |||
| PFOSPerfluorooctanesulfonic acid, a PFAS 'forever chemical' once used in firefighting foam and coatings. | 0Reported levelB.E. Payne Water Treatment Plant | 4MCL | None detected |
+By source (2)— B.E. Payne Water Treatment Plant, Crescent Hill Water Treatment Plant
| |||
Physical & aggregate
People also ask about Louisville, KY's water
+Is Louisville, KY tap water safe to drink in 2024?
Every one of the 19 contaminants measured in Louisville, KY'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 Louisville, KY tap water?
19 contaminants were measured in Louisville, KY's 2024 Consumer Confidence Report, spanning metals, pfas ("forever chemicals"), 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 Louisville, KY'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 Louisville, KY'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.