CITY WATER REPORT
Is Portsmouth Tap Water Safe? 2026 Water Quality Report
PORTSMOUTH WATER WORKS serves Portsmouth · 33,000 residents.
- Utility
- PORTSMOUTH WATER WORKS
- Population served
- 33,000
- Water source
- Surface water
- Disinfectant
- Pending utility report
- Hardness
- Pending utility report
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA): 7.0 ng/L ABOVE the 4.0 ng/L limit.
About this score The Purity Score summarises the public records PurityMap analysed for Portsmouth. It is not a laboratory test of the water at your tap.
What the record showsGreen means a contaminant was measured and is within its benchmark: a fact about that measurement, not an overall verdict. Anything not yet monitored stays unknown.
PORTSMOUTH WATER WORKS (EPA PWSID NH1951010) delivers surface water to 33,000 residents. This report reflects 3 federally regulated PFAS result(s) from the 2024 UCMR5 round and the latest Lead & Copper Rule 90th-percentile result. Water hardness and disinfectant type are pending the utility's own annual report.
Your water system
resolution confirmed
- PORTSMOUTH WATER WORKS (serves most of the city)
PORTSMOUTH WATER WORKS is the primary municipal supplier for most Portsmouth addresses. Confirm your supplier on your utility bill.
PORTSMOUTH WATER WORKS is the public system on record for this city. This identifies which utility serves the city. Confirm yours on your water bill before acting on a specific finding.
What stands out in Portsmouth
Each row links to a dated measurement in the supplier profile. A missing measurement is never shown as a non-detect.
What this data doesn’t tell you
Public water-system monitoring reflects the system, not the water at an individual household tap at a given moment. Home plumbing, fixtures, storage, sampling location and timing can all change what actually reaches your glass.
The data behind this report
| Contaminant | Result | Benchmark | Sampled | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) | 7 ng/L | 4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) | 2024 | UCMR5 Analytical Results: PORTSMOUTH WATER WORKS (NH1951010) |
| Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) | 5 ng/L | 4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) | 2024 | UCMR5 Analytical Results: PORTSMOUTH WATER WORKS (NH1951010) |
| Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) | 5 ng/L | 10.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) | 2024 | UCMR5 Analytical Results: PORTSMOUTH WATER WORKS (NH1951010) |
| Lead (90th percentile) | 0 µg/L | 15 µg/L federal action level | 2024-2024 | Lead & Copper Rule 90th-percentile: PORTSMOUTH WATER WORKS (NH1951010) |
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)
- Result
- 7 ng/L
- Benchmark
- 4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024)
- Sampled
- 2024
Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS)
- Result
- 5 ng/L
- Benchmark
- 4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024)
- Sampled
- 2024
Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS)
- Result
- 5 ng/L
- Benchmark
- 10.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024)
- Sampled
- 2024
Lead (90th percentile)
- Result
- 0 µg/L
- Benchmark
- 15 µg/L federal action level
- Sampled
- 2024-2024
Every value is the published result from the cited public record. A reporting limit is the lowest level the method could reliably quantify; a non-detect is not a guarantee of zero.
What can you do about it?To reduce exposure to what was reported in Portsmouth, these treatment technologies are relevant to the contaminants found here.
- Reverse osmosis
- Activated carbon (GAC)
- Anion exchange
- NSF/ANSI 53 lead-certified filters
- Replacing lead service lines
Understand water treatment technologies, then the specific products below are matched to these findings.
Recommended solutions
Reverse-osmosis or NSF/ANSI 53 PFAS-reduction system
pfasOur pick: Waterdrop G3P800 Tankless Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System, 800 GPD
Recommended because PFAS were measured above their federal limits here; RO and certified PFAS filters are the effective removal methods.
Also worth considering
NSF/ANSI 53 lead-reduction filter (optional)
leadOur pick: Brita Large 10-Cup Elite Water Filter Pitcher, WQA NSF/ANSI Certified, Reduces 99% of Lead, Microplastics, & 30 Contaminants, BPA-Free, Removes Chlorine Taste & Odor, 1 Filter Included, White
Recommended because There is no safe level of lead, and older home plumbing can add it at the tap.
Recommendations are matched to the published findings first; the commercial offer is looked up afterwards and never changes which products qualify. As an Amazon Associate, PurityMap earns from qualifying purchases. Affiliate disclosure.
Frequently asked questions
Who provides tap water in Portsmouth?
PORTSMOUTH WATER WORKS (PWS ID NH1951010) is the public water system on record for Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Confirm the utility on your water bill before acting on a specific finding.
Where does Portsmouth get its drinking water?
Surface water (primary source of record in EPA SDWIS).
What does the latest Portsmouth water report show?
Across the tracked parameters, PurityMap's current record for Portsmouth shows 2 contaminants measured above their benchmark and 2 within benchmark. Each finding links to its dated public record; a parameter that was never monitored is shown as pending, not as a pass.
Is there lead in Portsmouth's tap water?
In Portsmouth, lead is detected but within its action level in the published record. Lead can still enter water from household plumbing after it leaves the system, so a system result cannot rule out an individual tap. A certified home test is the only way to know yours.
Are PFAS "forever chemicals" in Portsmouth's water?
At least one PFAS compound is measured above its benchmark in Portsmouth's published record. See the findings for the specific compound and value.
Sources
Methodology: how we analyze water. Prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by the PurityMap Editorial Team before publication.
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- Systems published
- 1 of 1
- Latest sample on record
- 2024 (PFAS) / LCR (lead)