Short answer: In the 2023–2025 records we hold for Rochester, no listed result is above a legal limit. Also worth knowing: lithium sits above a screening level. 3 substances were detected and 28 were tested and not detected. The water is from Rochester Public Utilities, serving 123,624 residents.
PFHxSPerfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)Within reference · Federal MCL10 ng/L federal MCL (2024)3.9ng/L▾
① · Measured
3.9 ng/L, sampled 2023-08-01 to 2024-02-22. EPA UCMR 5.
② · Compared
10 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.
③ · Meaning
Detected at up to 3.9 ng/L (below the 10 ng/L limit EPA set in 2024). That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it.
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, with PFHxS named on the listing).
Rochester (EPA PWSID MN1550010) delivers groundwater to 123,624 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.
Each card names which Rochester findings its current certification covers, and which it doesn't.
As an Amazon Associate, PurityMap earns from qualifying purchases. A product appears here only when a current certification record covers at least one identified concern; every concern stays listed. The retail offer is looked up afterwards and never changes which products appear or their order. Affiliate disclosure.
Water Pitcher
Brita Elite Water Filter Pitcher
✓Lead: eligible, evidence match
–Not established: Lithium, PFHxS
Not suitable for (3)
Treating every tap in the home
A whole-home hard-water or scale problem
All PFAS: its evidence covers only the compounds it names
Rochester Public Utilities reported 257 lead and 269 galvanized service lines to replace in EPA’s inventory (2026Q2). Many utilities replace these lines for free or share the cost. Ask Rochester Public Utilities whether your home’s line is on its list before you pay anyone.
Your path: I live in an older buildingLead from plumbing is the main question
Older buildings may have lead service lines, solder or fixtures. Rochester’s record shows lead at 7 µg/L (15 µg/L federal action level). Test first-draw water, then filter if needed.
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 Rochester, PFAS were detected below the federal limits; the lead 90th-percentile result was 7 µg/L against the 15 µg/L action level. Rochester (PWSID MN1550010) has a Purity Score of 85/100 (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 Rochester?+
Rochester (PWS ID MN1550010) is the public water system on record for Rochester, Minnesota, serving about 123,624 people. Confirm the utility on your water bill before acting on a specific finding. Water utility →
Where does Rochester get its drinking water?+
Groundwater (primary source of record in EPA SDWIS). Water utility →
Are PFAS "forever chemicals" in Rochester's water?+
In EPA's UCMR 5 testing (2023-08-01 to 2024-02-22), PFHxS was detected at 3.9 ng/L, below the 10 ng/L federal limit. What we found →
Is there lead in Rochester's tap water?+
Rochester's most recent lead 90th-percentile result (2023–2025) was 7 µg/L, below the 15 µg/L action level. That figure comes from sampled homes; lead usually enters from a building's own pipes and fixtures, so only a test at your tap tells you what you drink. Your household →
What does the latest Rochester water report show?+
PurityMap's current record for Rochester holds 31 findings: 1 above a reference, 2 detected within the reference and 28 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. Rochester · PWSID MN1550010 · Purity Score 85/100 (Good) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
Lead at Rochester Public Utilities: 7 µg/L (90th percentile, 2023–2025 monitoring period). Lead has no taste, so a taste neither shows nor rules it out.
ZIP codes in Rochester
A ZIP code is a postal area, not a water service area. Your water bill names your supplier.