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Updated 2026-09-16
State water report

Rhode Island Water Quality: 13 Cities Ranked by the Records

Water quality across 13 cities in Rhode Island, drawn from EPA drinking-water records. Each city page shows the measured contaminants and a reproducible Purity Score.

Finding by finding

What Rhode Island'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

5of 13 cities

Cities whose system reported a PFAS above its federal limit.

PFOS in Rhode Island →
City rankings

Rhode Island cities ranked by the records

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

  1. 1
    LincolnLINCOLN WATER COMMISSION · RI1858423
    Report →
  2. 2
    PawtucketPAWTUCKET WATER SUPPLY BOARD VEOLIA-NA · RI1592021
    Report →
  3. 3
    ProvidencePROVIDENCE-CITY OF · RI1592024
    Report →
  4. 4
    WarwickWARWICK-CITY OF · RI1615627
    Report →
  5. 5
    Bristol CountyBRISTOL COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY · RI1647515
    Report →
  6. 6
    East ProvidenceEAST PROVIDENCE-CITY OF · RI1615610
    Report →
  7. 7
    NewportNEWPORT-CITY OF · RI1592010
    Report →
  8. 8
    Portsmouth Fire DistrictPORTSMOUTH WATER & FIRE DISTRICT · RI1592022
    Report →
  9. 9
    WoonsocketWOONSOCKET WATER DIVISION · RI1559518
    Report →
  10. 10
    Kent CountyKENT COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY · RI1559511
    Report →

Showing the top 10 of 13 scored cities.

See all 13 in the table

13 cities, highest Purity Score first

  1. 1Lincoln
    LINCOLN WATER COMMISSION · PWSID RI1858423 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  2. 2Pawtucket
    PAWTUCKET WATER SUPPLY BOARD VEOLIA-NA · PWSID RI1592021 · Purity Score 99/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    6:2 FTS 6 ng/L detected, no federal or state limit; lead 1.3 µg/LDetected
  3. 3Providence
    PROVIDENCE-CITY OF · PWSID RI1592024 · Purity Score 98/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 0.2 µg/LDetected
  4. 4Warwick
    WARWICK-CITY OF · PWSID RI1615627 · Purity Score 98/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 1.94 µg/LDetected
  5. 5Bristol County
    BRISTOL COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY · PWSID RI1647515 · Purity Score 98/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 1.9 µg/LDetected
  6. 6East Providence
    EAST PROVIDENCE-CITY OF · PWSID RI1615610 · Purity Score 97/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 0.9 µg/LDetected
  7. 7Newport
    NEWPORT-CITY OF · PWSID RI1592010 · Purity Score 95/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFAS detected, none above a limit; lead 4.4 µg/LDetected
  8. 8Portsmouth Fire District
    PORTSMOUTH WATER & FIRE DISTRICT · PWSID RI1592022 · Purity Score 92/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 4.8 µg/LDetected
  9. 9Woonsocket
    WOONSOCKET WATER DIVISION · PWSID RI1559518 · Purity Score 60/100 (Fair) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFOA 5.8 ng/L, 1.4× the EPA limitAbove reference
  10. 10Kent County
    KENT COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY · PWSID RI1559511 · Purity Score 58/100 (Fair) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFOA 7.5 ng/L, 1.9× the EPA limitAbove reference
  11. 11Cumberland
    CUMBERLAND, TOWN OF · PWSID RI1647530 · Purity Score 58/100 (Fair) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFOA 7.7 ng/L, 1.9× the EPA limit (+1 more PFAS above)Above reference
  12. 12North Kingstown
    NORTH KINGSTOWN TOWN OF · PWSID RI1559517 · Purity Score 56/100 (Fair) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFOA 8.1 ng/L, 2× the EPA limit (+1 more PFAS above)Above reference
Showing 12 of 13.

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 Rhode Island compares with other states.

By contaminant

PFAS and lead in Rhode Island

Counties

Rhode Island counties

4 counties with city reports
Suppliers

Largest water systems

All water systems →
Full indexAll 13 Rhode Island city reports, A–Z
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Questions

Rhode Island water, frequently asked

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How does Rhode Island tap water compare across cities?

PurityMap ranks 13 cities in Rhode Island 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 Lincoln's main water system: LINCOLN WATER COMMISSION · PWSID RI1858423 · 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 Rhode Island cities have PFAS above the federal limit?

5 cities of 13 had at least one regulated PFAS (PFOA, PFOS or PFHxS) measured above the 2024 federal limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Westerly (PFOA 9 ng/L), North Kingstown (PFOA 8.1 ng/L), Cumberland (PFOA 7.7 ng/L). PFAS were detected at any level in 7.

Is there lead in Rhode Island tap water?

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 12 of 13 Rhode Island 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.

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