Alabama Water Quality Report 2026: 129 Cities Ranked by the Records

PurityMap does not give a statewide safe or unsafe verdict: Alabama tap water comes from many separate public water systems, so the answer depends on the one that serves you. Of 129 Alabama city reports, 4 cities have a health-based violation in the federal SDWIS record in the last 10 years, and none was above the 15 µg/L lead action level. 48 of 129 Alabama city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit. EPA's 2024 limits are judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet them, so a single sample is not a violation. 78 of 129 have none of these on record, which is not the same as every contaminant being tested. Your city's report shows its own records, and plumbing inside a building can still change what reaches your tap.

43 Alabama cities share the top place in the ranking. The largest of them by population served are Montgomery, Decatur, Cullman County, Madison W and Foley. Cities are ranked by the Purity Score of each one's main water system, computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record, so the ranking compares the records, not which city's water is safest. Each city report names the water system behind its score.

PurityMap ranks 129 cities in Alabama 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 Montgomery's main water system: MONTGOMERY, THE WW&SSB OF THE CITY OF · PWSID AL0001070 · Purity Score 100 (Excellent) · 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.

48 of 129 Alabama city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Irondale (PFOS 59.4 ng/L), Gadsden (PFOS 32.4 ng/L), Grand Bay (PFOA 31.4 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 68.

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 66 of 129 Alabama 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.

4 cities in Alabama have a health-based violation in the federal SDWIS record within about the last ten years. Each city report lists the contaminant, year and whether it was resolved.

Hardness is published in utility water-quality reports for 2 Alabama cities on record; the hardest is Huntsville at 7.6 grains per gallon. Hardness affects scale and appliances; it is not a health finding.