Short answer: In the 2023–2025 records we hold for Jackson, PFOS had a sample above a 2024 EPA limit (not a violation: the limit is judged on a yearly average, due 2029). Everything else measured is within its reference or not detected. 1 substance was detected and 30 were tested and not detected. The water is from Jackson Water Works & Sewer Board, serving 11,715 residents.
1 lead, 54 galvanized, 1,411 unknown material (EPA inventory, 2026Q2)
Likely match, check your bill
2 water systems report serving Jackson. This report uses the largest, JACKSON WATER WORKS & SEWER BOARD. Your water bill names your actual supplier. Source: EPA SDWIS 2026Q2.
Plumbing inside the building is outside this record.
At a glance
Jackson water in four numbers
67/100 · FairConfidence: moderatePurity ScoreJACKSON WATER WORKS & SEWER BOARD · PWSID AL0000256
1Detected1 with a sample above a 2024 EPA limit
1With a sample above a 2024 EPA limitof 31 records
0Health-based violationslast 10 years · EPA SDWIS
PFOS had a sample above a 2024 EPA limit (not a violation: the limit is judged on a yearly average, due 2029); everything else measured is within its reference or not detected.
What we found
One detected result
Each bar runs to the named reference; the tick marks it. Open a row for five layers: measured, compared, meaning, where it matters, what to do.
PFOSPerfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)Above EPA's 2024 limit (one sample) · Federal MCL4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024)6.2ng/L▾
① · Measured
6.2 ng/L, sampled 2024-12-02 to 2025-09-24. 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 6.2 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)).
JACKSON WATER WORKS & SEWER BOARD (EPA PWSID AL0000256) delivers surface water to 11,715 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
0health-based violations in the last 10 years
From EPA SDWIS. A clean violation history means no enforcement action was recorded; it does not cover contaminants without a limit.
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.
Your household
Your tap can differ from the city record
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 and lead.
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.
Lead service lines
Ask your utility first
Jackson Water Works & Sewer Board reported 1 lead and 54 galvanized service lines to replace in EPA’s inventory (2026Q2). Many utilities replace these lines for free or share the cost. Ask Jackson Water Works & Sewer Board whether your home’s line is on its list before you pay anyone.
Local help
Think your plumbing may be adding lead?
Call to be connected with a local plumbing provider about lead service lines, repiping or fixture replacement.
Your path: I live in an older buildingLead from plumbing is the main question
Older buildings may have lead service lines, solder or fixtures. Jackson’s utility reported 1 lead and 54 galvanized service lines in EPA’s inventory. Test first-draw water, then filter if needed.
1 of 29 PFAS tested was detected in Jackson’s record (PFOS 6.2 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 Jackson, PFOS 6.2 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). JACKSON WATER WORKS & SEWER BOARD (PWSID AL0000256) 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 Jackson?+
JACKSON WATER WORKS & SEWER BOARD (PWS ID AL0000256) is the public water system on record for Jackson, Alabama, serving about 11,715 people. Confirm the utility on your water bill before acting on a specific finding. Water utility →
Where does Jackson get its drinking water?+
Surface water (primary source of record in EPA SDWIS). Water utility →
Are PFAS "forever chemicals" in Jackson's water?+
Yes. In EPA's UCMR 5 testing (2024-12-02 to 2025-09-24), PFOS was measured at 6.2 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 Jackson's tap water?+
Lead is not in Jackson'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 Jackson water report show?+
PurityMap's current record for Jackson holds 31 findings: 1 above a reference and 30 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. JACKSON WATER WORKS & SEWER BOARD · PWSID AL0000256 · Purity Score 67/100 (Fair) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
Lead at Jackson Water Works & Sewer Board: not detected (90th percentile, 2023–2025 monitoring period). Lead has no taste, so a taste neither shows nor rules it out.
ZIP codes in Jackson
A ZIP code is a postal area, not a water service area. Your water bill names your supplier.