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Updated 2026-10-15
County water report

St. Joseph County Water Quality: 2 Cities Ranked by the Records

St. Joseph County, Indiana: 2 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 St. Joseph 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.

Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)Detected in 2 systems10 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest25.6 ng/L
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)Detected in 1 system of 2 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest10 ng/L
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)Detected in 1 system of 2 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest4.2 ng/L
Lead (90th percentile)Detected in 2 systems15 µg/L federal action level · US EPAHighest7.1 µg/L
Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)Detected in 2 systems2,000 ng/L EPA health advisory (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest8.7 ng/L
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)Detected in 1 system of 2 tested400,000 ng/L Michigan EGLE state MCL (strictest US state) · Michigan EGLEHighest20.8 ng/L
Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)Detected in 2 systemsNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest23.2 ng/L
Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)Detected in 1 system of 2 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest8.3 ng/L
2 more contaminants detectedShow
Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS)Detected in 1 system of 2 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest7.2 ng/L
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)Detected in 2 systemsNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest39.7 ng/L
21 substances tested, none detected in any systemShow

Tested in these 2 systems: MISHAWAKA UTILITIES, SOUTH BEND 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)
  • Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
  • Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA)
  • Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA)
  • Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA)
2 cities

Cities ranked by the records

Showing 2 of 2 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 St. Joseph County2 of 2 city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit
  1. Mishawaka4.2 ng/L
4.0 ng/L federal MCL · PFOS, ng/LPFAS in Indiana
Lead

0of 2 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 Indiana
Who supplies the county

Largest water systems

  1. South BendSOUTH BEND WATER WORKS · IN5271014
    115,000 served
  2. MishawakaMISHAWAKA UTILITIES · IN5271009
    49,675 served
Questions

Frequently asked

How does St. Joseph County tap water compare across cities?

PurityMap ranks 2 cities in St. Joseph 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 Mishawaka's main water system: MISHAWAKA UTILITIES · PWSID IN5271009 · Purity Score 70 (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 St. Joseph County cities had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit?

2 of 2 St. Joseph County city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including South Bend (PFHxS 25.6 ng/L), Mishawaka (PFOS 4.2 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 2.

Is there lead in St. Joseph County tap water?

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 2 of 2 St. Joseph 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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