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Updated 2026-09-16
State water report

Nebraska Water Quality: 15 Cities Ranked by the Records

Water quality across 15 cities in Nebraska, drawn from EPA drinking-water records. Each city page shows the measured contaminants and a reproducible Purity Score.

Finding by finding

What Nebraska's records show

Counts of cities whose serving system reported each result. There is no statewide score: PurityMap does not average local records into a statewide safety verdict. 3 cities have a past health-based violation on record.

PFAS above a 2024 limit

MCL

3of 15 cities

Cities whose system reported a PFAS above its federal limit.

PFOS in Nebraska →

Nitrate above the MCL

MCL

0of 15 cities

Cities whose system reported nitrate above 10 mg/L.

About nitrate →

Hard or very hard

No federal limit

2of 15 cities

Above 120 mg/L as CaCO₃ (7 gpg) on the USGS scale, of 2 cities with a hardness value.

About hard water →
City rankings

Nebraska cities ranked by the records

Highest first. A summary of each serving system’s record, not a safety verdict.

  1. 1
    South Sioux CitySOUTH SIOUX CITY, CITY OF · NE3104309
    Report →
  2. 2
    BeatriceBEATRICE, CITY OF · NE3106705
    Report →
  3. 3
    LexingtonLEXINGTON, CITY OF · NE3104708
    Report →
  4. 4
    ScottsbluffSCOTTSBLUFF, CITY OF · NE3115716
    Report →
  5. 5
    PapillionPAPILLION, CITY OF · NE3115313
    Report →
  6. 6
    ColumbusCOLUMBUS, CITY OF · NE3114110
    Report →
  7. 7
    KearneyKEARNEY, CITY OF · NE3101906
    Report →
  8. 8
    FremontFREMONT, CITY OF · NE3105312
    Report →
  9. 9
    NorfolkNORFOLK, CITY OF · NE3111910
    Report →
  10. 10
    LincolnLINCOLN, CITY OF · NE3110926
    Report →

Showing the top 10 of 15 scored cities.

See all 15 in the table

15 cities, highest Purity Score first

  1. 1South Sioux City
    SOUTH SIOUX CITY, CITY OF · PWSID NE3104309 · Purity Score 99/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 1.1 µg/LDetected
  2. 2Beatrice
    BEATRICE, CITY OF · PWSID NE3106705 · Purity Score 98/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 1.72 µg/LDetected
  3. 3Lexington
    LEXINGTON, CITY OF · PWSID NE3104708 · Purity Score 97/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 2.95 µg/LDetected
  4. 4Scottsbluff
    SCOTTSBLUFF, CITY OF · PWSID NE3115716 · Purity Score 96/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 3.2 µg/LDetected
  5. 5Papillion
    PAPILLION, CITY OF · PWSID NE3115313 · Purity Score 95/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 2.8 µg/LDetected
  6. 6Columbus
    COLUMBUS, CITY OF · PWSID NE3114110 · Purity Score 95/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    Past arsenic violation on recordDetected
  7. 7Kearney
    KEARNEY, CITY OF · PWSID NE3101906 · Purity Score 94/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 5.48 µg/LDetected
  8. 8Fremont
    FREMONT, CITY OF · PWSID NE3105312 · Purity Score 94/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFAS detected below their limits; lead 0.93 µg/LDetected
  9. 9Norfolk
    NORFOLK, CITY OF · PWSID NE3111910 · Purity Score 94/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 4.73 µg/LDetected
  10. 10Lincoln
    LINCOLN, CITY OF · PWSID NE3110926 · Purity Score 87/100 (Good) · Confidence: high · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 4.5 µg/LDetected
  11. 11Metropolitan District
    METROPOLITAN UTILITIES DISTRICT · PWSID NE3105507 · Purity Score 84/100 (Good) · Confidence: high · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 12.3 µg/LDetected
  12. 12Omaha
    METROPOLITAN UTILITIES DISTRICT · PWSID NE3105507 · Purity Score 84/100 (Good) · Confidence: high · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 12.3 µg/LDetected
Showing 12 of 15.

Ranked by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, highest first. Scores belong to water systems; there is no state 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. See how Nebraska compares with other states.

By contaminant

PFAS, lead and hard water in Nebraska

Counties

Nebraska counties

14 counties with city reports
Show all 14 counties
Suppliers

Largest water systems

All water systems →
Full indexAll 15 Nebraska city reports, A–Z
Next step

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Only after a city report names a finding, match a treatment certified for it.

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Questions

Nebraska water, frequently asked

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How does Nebraska tap water compare across cities?

PurityMap ranks 15 cities in Nebraska 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 South Sioux City's main water system: SOUTH SIOUX CITY, CITY OF · PWSID NE3104309 · Purity Score 99 (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.

How many Nebraska cities have PFAS above the federal limit?

3 cities of 15 had at least one regulated PFAS (PFOA, PFOS or PFHxS) measured above the 2024 federal limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including North Platte (PFOS 17 ng/L), Grand Island (PFHxS 24.6 ng/L), Hastings (PFOS 6.6 ng/L). PFAS were detected at any level in 4.

Is there lead in Nebraska tap water?

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 15 of 15 Nebraska 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.

Have Nebraska water systems had drinking-water violations?

3 cities in Nebraska 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.

Does Nebraska have hard water?

Hardness is published in utility water-quality reports for 2 Nebraska cities on record; the hardest is Lincoln at 11.2 grains per gallon. Hardness affects scale and appliances; it is not a health finding.

Limits, sources and corrections

A statewide page cannot tell you what reaches a specific address. Water quality varies by supplier, sampling period and household plumbing; open a city report for the evidence behind a local result.

Sources: EPA UCMR 5 (PFAS, 2024), SDWIS Lead and Copper Rule 90th-percentile results and health-based violations, and utility Consumer Confidence Reports where on file. Every city report links its dated source records.

Updated 2026-09-16. How PurityMap analyzes water data · Report an error