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Updated 2026-09-16
State water report

Nevada Water Quality: 12 Cities Ranked by the Records

Water quality across 12 cities in Nevada, drawn from EPA drinking-water records. Each city page shows the measured contaminants and a reproducible Purity Score.

Finding by finding

What Nevada'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.

PFAS above a 2024 limit

MCL

3of 12 cities

Cities whose system reported a PFAS above its federal limit.

PFOS in Nevada →

Nitrate above the MCL

MCL

0of 12 cities

Cities whose system reported nitrate above 10 mg/L.

About nitrate →

Hard or very hard

No federal limit

1of 12 cities

Above 120 mg/L as CaCO₃ (7 gpg) on the USGS scale, of 1 cities with a hardness value.

About hard water →
City rankings

Nevada cities ranked by the records

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

  1. 1
    Virgin Valley DistrictVIRGIN VALLEY WATER DISTRICT · NV0000167
    Report →
  2. 2
    Gardnerville Ranchos GidGARDNERVILLE RANCHOS GID · NV0000066
    Report →
  3. 3
    Dayton ValleyDAYTON VALLEY WATER SYSTEM · NV0000032
    Report →
  4. 4
    Sun Valley GidSUN VALLEY GID · NV0000211
    Report →
  5. 5
    Carson CityCARSON CITY PUBLIC WORKS · NV0000015
    Report →
  6. 6
    Boulder CityBOULDER CITY · NV0000011
    Report →
  7. 7
    HendersonHENDERSON CITY OF · NV0000076
    Report →
  8. 8
    North Las VegasNORTH LAS VEGAS UTILITIES · NV0000175
    Report →
  9. 9
    Las VegasLAS VEGAS VALLEY WATER DISTRICT · NV0000090
    Report →
  10. 10
    FernleyFERNLEY PUBLIC WORKS · NV0000062
    Report →

Showing the top 10 of 12 scored cities.

See all 12 in the table

12 cities, highest Purity Score first

  1. 1Virgin Valley District
    VIRGIN VALLEY WATER DISTRICT · PWSID NV0000167 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  2. 2Gardnerville Ranchos Gid
    GARDNERVILLE RANCHOS GID · PWSID NV0000066 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  3. 3Dayton Valley
    DAYTON VALLEY WATER SYSTEM · PWSID NV0000032 · Purity Score 99/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 0.8 µg/LDetected
  4. 4Sun Valley Gid
    SUN VALLEY GID · PWSID NV0000211 · Purity Score 98/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 2 µg/LDetected
  5. 5Carson City
    CARSON CITY PUBLIC WORKS · PWSID NV0000015 · Purity Score 97/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 2.7 µg/LDetected
  6. 6Boulder City
    BOULDER CITY · PWSID NV0000011 · Purity Score 97/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 2.41 µg/LDetected
  7. 7Henderson
    HENDERSON CITY OF · PWSID NV0000076 · Purity Score 96/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 3.8 µg/LDetected
  8. 8North Las Vegas
    NORTH LAS VEGAS UTILITIES · PWSID NV0000175 · Purity Score 91/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: high · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 1.38 µg/LDetected
  9. 9Las Vegas
    LAS VEGAS VALLEY WATER DISTRICT · PWSID NV0000090 · Purity Score 85/100 (Good) · Confidence: high · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFAS detected, none above a limit; lead 2.08 µg/LDetected
  10. 10Fernley
    FERNLEY PUBLIC WORKS · PWSID NV0000062 · Purity Score 67/100 (Fair) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFOS 5.6 ng/L, 1.4× the EPA limitAbove reference
  11. 11Reno
    TRUCKEE MEADOWS WATER AUTHORITY · PWSID NV0000190 · Purity Score 57/100 (Fair) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFOS 20 ng/L, 5× the EPA limit (+2 more PFAS above)Above reference
  12. 12Elko
    ELKO CITY OF · PWSID NV0000272 · Purity Score 54/100 (Poor) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFOS 46 ng/L, 12× the EPA limit (+2 more PFAS above)Above reference
End of list.

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 Nevada compares with other states.

By contaminant

PFAS, lead and hard water in Nevada

Counties

Nevada counties

5 counties with city reports
Suppliers

Largest water systems

All water systems →
Full indexAll 12 Nevada city reports, A–Z
Next step

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Plumbing inside a building can add lead and change what reaches your glass.

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

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Questions

Nevada water, frequently asked

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How does Nevada tap water compare across cities?

PurityMap ranks 12 cities in Nevada 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 Virgin Valley District's main water system: VIRGIN VALLEY WATER DISTRICT · PWSID NV0000167 · 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.

How many Nevada cities have PFAS above the federal limit?

3 cities of 12 had at least one regulated PFAS (PFOA, PFOS or PFHxS) measured above the 2024 federal limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Elko (PFOS 46 ng/L), Reno (PFOS 20 ng/L), Fernley (PFOS 5.6 ng/L). PFAS were detected at any level in 4.

Is there lead in Nevada tap water?

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 8 of 12 Nevada 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.

Does Nevada have hard water?

Hardness is published in utility water-quality reports for 1 Nevada city on record; the hardest is Las Vegas at 16.4 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