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Updated 2026-10-15
County water report

Colbert County Water Quality: 3 Cities Ranked by the Records

Colbert County, Alabama: 3 city reports built from EPA and utility records. A county has many suppliers; each city shows the system that serves it.

Find my systemOpen on the mapPrivate wells in Colbert County
Across the county's systems

Highest result for each contaminant

One row per contaminant: the highest result any system in the county reported, against its limit. Open a row for the systems behind it.

Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)Detected in 3 systems4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest20 ng/L
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)Detected in 3 systems4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest13 ng/L
Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)Detected in 1 system of 3 tested10 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest3.4 ng/L
Lead (90th percentile)Detected in 2 systems of 3 tested15 µg/L federal action level · US EPAHighest1.86 µg/L
Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)Detected in 3 systems2,000 ng/L EPA health advisory (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest7.2 ng/L
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)Detected in 3 systems400,000 ng/L Michigan EGLE state MCL (strictest US state) · Michigan EGLEHighest5.4 ng/L
Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)Detected in 3 systemsNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest12 ng/L
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)Detected in 1 system of 3 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest5.6 ng/L
23 substances tested, none detected in any systemShow

Tested in these 3 systems: MUSCLE SHOALS UTILITY BOARD, SHEFFIELD UTILITIES, CITY OF SHEFFIELD, TUSCUMBIA WATER WORKS

  • 11-Chloroeicosafluoro-3-oxaundecane-1-sulfonic acid (11Cl-PF3OUdS)
  • 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecane sulfonic acid (8:2 FTS)
  • 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (4:2 FTS)
  • 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (6:2 FTS)
  • 4,8-Dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoic acid (ADONA)
  • 9-Chlorohexadecafluoro-3-oxanone-1-sulfonic acid (9Cl-PF3ONS)
  • Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) (GenX chemicals)
  • Lithium
  • N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NEtFOSAA)
  • N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NMeFOSAA)
  • Nonafluoro-3,6-dioxaheptanoic acid (NFDHA)
  • Perfluoro (2-ethoxyethane) sulfonic acid (PFEESA)
  • Perfluoro-3-methoxypropanoic acid (PFMPA)
  • Perfluoro-4-methoxybutanoic acid (PFMBA)
  • Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA)
  • Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA)
  • Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS)
  • Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)
  • Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
  • Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS)
  • Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA)
  • Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA)
  • Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA)
3 cities

Cities ranked by the records

Showing 3 of 3 cities · scores are system-level, not tap tests

Ranked by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, highest first. Scores belong to water systems; there is no county score. The score is computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record, so this ranks the record, not which city's water is safest. How the score works.

PFAS in Colbert County3 of 3 city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit
  1. Sheffield20 ng/L
  2. Muscle Shoals16.8 ng/L
  3. Tuscumbia6.3 ng/L
4.0 ng/L federal MCL · PFOS, ng/LPFAS in Alabama
Lead

0of 3 cities above the 15 µg/L action level

Based on each system's 90th-percentile result. Lead from household plumbing isn't in this record.

Lead in Alabama
Who supplies the county

Largest water systems

  1. Muscle ShoalsMUSCLE SHOALS UTILITY BOARD · AL0000321
    22,467 served
  2. TuscumbiaTUSCUMBIA WATER WORKS · AL0000331
    16,539 served
  3. SheffieldSHEFFIELD UTILITIES, CITY OF SHEFFIELD · AL0000327
    13,758 served
Questions

Frequently asked

How does Colbert County tap water compare across cities?

PurityMap ranks 3 cities in Colbert County by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record. Scores belong to water systems, not to cities. The highest published score is Tuscumbia's main water system: TUSCUMBIA WATER WORKS · PWSID AL0000331 · Purity Score 64 (Fair) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level. The ranking compares the records, not which city's water is safest, and your own tap can differ with household plumbing.

How many Colbert County cities had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit?

3 of 3 Colbert County city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Sheffield (PFOS 20 ng/L), Muscle Shoals (PFOS 16.8 ng/L), Tuscumbia (PFOS 6.3 ng/L). 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. PFAS were detected at any level in 3.

Is there lead in Colbert County tap water?

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 2 of 3 Colbert County cities reported a value above zero, and none was above the 15 µg/L federal action level. Lead usually comes from a building's own pipes and fixtures, so only a test at your tap tells you what you drink.

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