Short answer: In the 2024–2026 records we hold for Fernley, PFOS had a sample above a 2024 EPA limit (not a violation: the limit is judged on a yearly average, due 2029), and a health-based violation is on record (EPA SDWIS). Also worth knowing: lithium sits above a screening level. 2 substances were detected and 29 were tested and not detected. The water is from Fernley Public Works, serving 23,064 residents.
PFOSPerfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)Above EPA's 2024 limit (one sample) · Federal MCL4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024)5.6ng/L▾
① · Measured
5.6 ng/L, sampled 2024-04-04 to 2024-11-19. EPA UCMR 5.
② · Compared
4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024): a legal limit. That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it, so a single sample is not a violation. EPA health goal (MCLG): 0.
③ · Meaning
One EPA sample measured 5.6 ng/L, above the 4 ng/L limit EPA set in 2024. That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it, so a single sample is not a violation.
④ · Where it matters
Comes with the source water; home plumbing does not add it.
⑤ · What to do
Test your own tap first. To reduce it: Reverse osmosis, or carbon certified for PFAS (NSF/ANSI 53 or 58 (PFOA/PFOS)).
FERNLEY PUBLIC WORKS (EPA PWSID NV0000062) delivers groundwater to 23,064 residents. This report reflects 29 individual PFAS result(s) from the source UCMR5 observations and the latest Lead & Copper Rule 90th-percentile result. Water hardness and disinfectant type are pending the utility's own annual report.
Track record
1health-based violation in the last 10 years
From EPA SDWIS. Counted once per contaminant per year, as in the Track record score.
Not in this recordDisinfection by-products weren't monitored in this dataset
No result is not a pass. Your utility's annual water quality report may list them, and a certified lab test covers your own tap.
Health-based violations, last 10 years
Every filing is listed; the Track record score counts at most one per contaminant per year.
The record describes water leaving treatment and samples across the system. Pipes, solder and fixtures inside a building can add lead the record can’t see, especially in older buildings with lead service lines.
Affiliate linksPurityMap earns a commission from these links. "Best choice" and "Budget pick" go to certified products first; commission never decides them. As an Amazon Associate, PurityMap earns from qualifying purchases. Affiliate disclosure
★ Best choice: Aquasana Claryum 2-Stage Under-Sink Filter (AQ-5200), certified for PFOS.
Reverse osmosisiSpring RCC7AK Alkaline Reverse Osmosis SystemiSpring · It treats only the water from its own faucet and sends part of the water to the drain; the NSF listing for the plain RCC7AK covers dissolved solids, not lead or PFAS.Use code REFISPRING at checkout: 10% off your first iSpring order.
Reverse osmosisiSpring RO5004F Tankless Reverse Osmosis System with UViSpring · Its PFAS and lead reduction claims are iSpring's own, with no third-party certification named for this model, and it treats only the water at its own faucet.Use code REFISPRING at checkout: 10% off your first iSpring order.
Reverse osmosisWaterdrop X12 Reverse Osmosis SystemWaterdrop · Its IAPMO NSF/ANSI 58 certification covers TDS reduction only, so its PFAS and lead claims rest on Waterdrop's own SGS lab testing.
Whole-houseiSpring WGB32B-PFKS PFAS & Heavy Metals Whole House FilteriSpring · It does not reduce total dissolved solids or soften hard water, and its PFAS result comes from SGS lab testing rather than an NSF/ANSI certification.Use code REFISPRING at checkout: 10% off your first iSpring order.
PurityMap earns a commission from these links. "Best choice" and "Budget pick" go to certified products first; commission never decides them. As an Amazon Associate, PurityMap earns from qualifying purchases. Affiliate disclosure.
Is this right for my home?
Choose your situation
Your path: I live in an older buildingLead from plumbing is the main question
Older buildings may have lead service lines, solder or fixtures. Fernley’s utility reported 3,333 service lines of unknown material in EPA’s inventory, so only a tap test tells you. Test first-draw water, then filter if needed.
1 of 29 PFAS tested was detected in Fernley’s record (PFOS 5.6 ng/L); 1 above its limit. If PFAS matters to you, a filter certification names each compound it covers.
Look forNSF/ANSI 53 or 58, with each compound you care about named on the listing
Your path: My water tastes of chlorineThe disinfectant is not in this record
Most utilities keep chlorine or chloramine in the pipes. A carbon filter certified for taste and odor reduces either; your utility can tell you which it uses.
PurityMap does not give a safe/unsafe verdict; it shows what the public records measured. For Fernley, PFOS 5.6 ng/L was measured in one EPA sample, above the 4 ng/L limit EPA set in 2024 (not a violation: the limit is judged on a yearly average, due 2029). FERNLEY PUBLIC WORKS (PWSID NV0000062) has a Purity Score of 67/100 (confidence: moderate), assessed at the water-system level and computed only from contaminants that were measured. Water can change in your own pipes, so a certified test is the only way to know what comes out of your tap. What we found →
Who provides tap water in Fernley?+
FERNLEY PUBLIC WORKS (PWS ID NV0000062) is the public water system on record for Fernley, Nevada, serving about 23,064 people. Confirm the utility on your water bill before acting on a specific finding. Water utility →
Where does Fernley get its drinking water?+
Groundwater (primary source of record in EPA SDWIS). Water utility →
Are PFAS "forever chemicals" in Fernley's water?+
Yes. In EPA's UCMR 5 testing (2024-04-04 to 2024-10-02), PFOS was measured at 5.6 ng/L in one EPA sample, above the 4 ng/L limit EPA set in 2024. That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it, so a single sample is not a violation. Reverse osmosis and filters certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for PFOA/PFOS reduce them at the tap. What we found →
Is there lead in Fernley's tap water?+
Lead is not in Fernley's current published record. Lead usually enters from a building's own pipes and fixtures, so a certified home test is the way to know yours. Your household →
What does the latest Fernley water report show?+
PurityMap's current record for Fernley holds 31 findings: 2 above a reference and 29 not detected. Each finding links to its dated public record; a parameter that was never monitored is shown as pending, not as a pass. Records →
EPA SDWIS, EPA UCMR 5 and utility reports, each dated and linked.
02Normalize
Units converted to one basis; a non-detect kept distinct from zero.
03Classify
Each result tagged by reference type: MCL, action level, screening level or aesthetic.
04Compare to the named reference
Every value sits against its own reference, never a blended one.
05Score
Measured subjects summarised at the water-system level; an open health-based violation caps the score.
06Match treatment
Treatment is matched to what was found; a product is called certified only when its current certification names it.
What the Purity Score means: a summary of this water system’s published record, capped while a health-based violation is open. It is not a test of any tap. FERNLEY PUBLIC WORKS · PWSID NV0000062 · Purity Score 67/100 (Fair) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
Lead at Fernley Public Works: not detected (90th percentile, 2024–2026 monitoring period (still open)). Lead has no taste, so a taste neither shows nor rules it out.
ZIP codes in Fernley
A ZIP code is a postal area, not a water service area. Your water bill names your supplier.