City of Springville
What EPA’s and Alabama’s records show in this utility’s water: PFAS and lithium; nitrate, arsenic and other regulated chemicals; lead and copper; and violations since 2016, with the certification that handles each result.
- Serves
- 6,468 people
- Connections
- 2,156
- Water source
- Surface water bought from another system
- Based in
- Springville, AL
- County
- St. Clair
- Owner
- Local government
- Hardness
- Hard
The ZIP code it serves
The short answer
1 result is above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. The worst: PFOA, above EPA’s new limit (2029). No health-based violations on file since 2016.
What handles itWhat was found
PFAS and lithium: EPA UCMR 5, samples taken from Feb. 4, 2025 to Oct. 7, 2025.
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5), nitrate, chromium (total), arsenic and fluoride: Alabama’s own results, samples taken from March 9, 2020 to Sept. 16, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
PFAS: PFOA and PFBS were found, of the six PFAS in EPA’s 2024 drinking water rule; their results are below. Three other PFAS with no federal limit were found, the highest PFPeA at 27.1 ppt: see them below.
EPA’s 2024 PFAS rule, compound by compound
| PFAS | EPA’s limit | Result |
|---|---|---|
| PFOA | 4.0 ppt | Above EPA’s new limit (2029)4.1 ppt highest, found in 1 of 5 samples. Details |
| PFOS | 4.0 ppt | Not foundNot found in any of 5 samples, below 4 ppt |
| PFHxS | 10 ppt | Not foundNot found in any of 5 samples, below 3 ppt |
| PFNA | 10 ppt | Not foundNot found in any of 5 samples, below 4 ppt |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) | 10 ppt | Not foundNot found in any of 5 samples, below 5 ppt |
| PFBS | Index only | Below EPA’s limits36 ppt highest, found in 3 of 5 samples. Details |
| Hazard IndexPFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA and PFBS together | 1 | Doesn’t applyDoesn’t apply: no sampling location found two or more of the four |
| Results from EPA’s UCMR 5 sampling. “Below” is the lab’s reporting level: a result under it reads as not found, which is not the same as zero. The limits are EPA’s 2024 rule, with compliance due from 2029; EPA has since proposed changes to some of them, explained on each compound’s page. PFBS has no limit of its own and counts only toward the Hazard Index, which adds up the four, each against EPA’s health-based level, from each sampling location’s average, as EPA’s UCMR 5 summary does. It counts only where two or more of the four were found, and is above the limit from 1.5. | ||
About PFAS certifications
NSF’s PFAS claims are tested to below 20 ppt. EPA’s limit is 4.0 ppt, and EPA says no certification yet shows a filter reaching its levels.
Above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 20291
PFOA
Comes from the source
4.1ppt
Highest sample, Oct. 7, 2025; found in 1 of 5
The highest sample was 4.1 ppt, above EPA’s new limit of 4.0 ppt, which takes effect in 2029. EPA’s health goal is zero. Compliance will be judged on a running annual average, not one sample. Averaged by sampling location, as EPA compares its UCMR 5 results with the limit, the highest was 1.0 ppt, below it.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “PFOA Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)”
Below EPA’s limits5
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Forms or is added in treatment
46.5ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026 average: 37.5 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 46.5 ppb, in 2022, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. Its highest single sample was 67.5 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its six samples averaged 37.5 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 56.3 ppb, in 2015.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Forms or is added in treatment
32ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026 average: 7.9 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 32 ppb, in 2021, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. Its highest single sample was 45 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its six samples averaged 7.9 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 35 ppb, in 2018.
What handles it
No certification claim covers this compound yet.
Nitrate
Comes from the source
0.67ppm
Highest sample; found in 7 of 7
2026, one sample: 0.22 ppm
The highest sample, in 2020, was 0.67 ppm, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. In 2026, the latest year on file, its one sample was 0.22 ppm.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”
Chromium (total)
Comes from the source
6.0ppb
Highest yearly average, 2022 to 2025
Averaged by year, the highest was 6.0 ppb, in 2025, below EPA’s legal limit of 100 ppb. That was also the latest year on file.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Chromium (Hexavalent) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Chromium Reduction”
PFBS
Comes from the source
36ppt
Highest sample, Oct. 7, 2025; found in 3 of 5
The highest sample was 36 ppt, below EPA’s hazard index benchmark of 2,000 ppt. PFBS has no legal limit or health goal of its own.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Total PFAS Reduction”
Also found, with no federal limit
EPA measured these PFAS to learn how often they occur. None has a legal limit or a health goal yet.
| Compound | Highest sample | Found in | Certification claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| PFPeA | 27.1 ppt | 3 of 5 | None covers it |
| PFBA | 13.3 ppt | 3 of 5 | None covers it |
| PFHxA | 11.4 ppt | 2 of 5 | None covers it |
28 compounds tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
From routine monitoring
- Arsenic
- Fluoride
- Lead
PFAS and lithium, from EPA’s UCMR 5 sampling
- 11Cl-PF3OUdS
- 4:2 FTS
- 6:2 FTS
- 8:2 FTS
- 9Cl-PF3ONS
- ADONA
- HFPO-DA (GenX)
- Lithium
- NEtFOSAA
- NFDHA
- NMeFOSAA
- PFDA
- PFDoA
- PFEESA
- PFHpA
- PFHpS
- PFHxS
- PFMBA
- PFMPA
- PFNA
- PFOS
- PFPeS
- PFTA
- PFTrDA
- PFUnA
What handles it
A certification covers specific claims, not a whole standard. Look for these claims on the certifier’s listing, not the box. Wording varies a little: NSF writes “Lead Reduction,” WQA just “Lead.”
- NSF/ANSI 53
Claim: PFOA Reduction
For: PFOA
Other certifiers’ wording: Total PFAS Reduction; Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)
- NSF/ANSI 58
Claim: Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)
For: PFOA
At the tap, or for the whole house?
These come with the water itself, so a whole-house system certified for the same claims treats every tap and shower. A filter at the tap treats drinking water for much less. How whole-house systems compare.
Filters with those claims on a certifier’s listing
Disclosure: TapBuff earns a commission if you buy through some links on this page. It does not change which standard or filter we name. As an Amazon Associate, TapBuff earns from qualifying purchases. How TapBuff makes money
ZeroWater 10 Cup Pitcher (ZP-010)
Pitcher
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: PFOA
Aquasana Claryum Direct Connect (AQ-MF-1)
Under-sink carbon
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
Certified for: PFOA
Express Water StreamLine Direct Connect System (USC001)
Under-sink carbon
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
Certified for: PFOA
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: PFOA
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: PFOA
Hardness
Hard, 143 mg/L (8.3 grains per gallon), at its one sampling point, 2016 to 2025.
Hardness is calcium and magnesium. EPA sets no limit for it: it shows up as scale on fixtures and in water heaters, and as soap that won’t lather. USGS calls water above 60 mg/L moderately hard, above 120 hard and above 180 very hard.
Disinfectant
City of Springville reported disinfecting with chlorine, not chloramine, at all 2 of its sampling points, in its 2025 sampling for EPA.
Chlorine leaves water that sits out for a few days, CDC says. A filter certified for it carries a chlorine claim under NSF/ANSI 42; a shower filter, a free chlorine claim under NSF/ANSI 177. This utility buys its water from another system, so what it reported may leave out treatment done before the water reaches it. This is what the utility reported for that sampling. Its annual water quality report says what it uses now.
Violations since 2016
No health-based violations on file with EPA since 2016. There is 1 monitoring or reporting violation: a sample missed, late or not reported.
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5), nitrate, chromium (total), arsenic and fluoride results here are Alabama’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. City of Springville’s own annual report, which it must send you every year, has the contaminants this page does not show.
Your own plumbing. Lead results are the 90th percentile across homes the utility samples. Your home’s service line, solder and fixtures decide yours. A certified lab test is the only way to know.
What it means for your health. This page reports what the records show and EPA’s limits and goals; it is not medical advice. If you are worried about a health effect, talk to a doctor or your local health department.
Anything after the latest data. SDWIS data is from 2026 Q3; UCMR 5 samples are from Feb. 4, 2025 to Oct. 7, 2025; Alabama’s results run from March 9, 2020 to Sept. 16, 2026.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs Alabama certifies closest to the area City of Springville serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Guardian Systems
Leeds, AL · about 19 miles
Certified for bacteria
Sutherland Environmental Testing Laboratory
Birmingham, AL · about 28 miles
Albertville Bacteriological laboratory
Albertville, AL · about 41 miles
Certified for bacteria
Alabama Department of Public Health: Bacteria testing for private wells. Call your county health department to have an environmentalist collect the sample, or collect it yourself in a container from the county health department; there may be a collection fee and a testing fee. Well Water, Alabama Department of Public Health.
All 64 certified labs for AlabamaSources
- EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data, file of Oct. 15, 2026
- EPA SDWA bulk download (SDWIS federal data), 2026 Q3
- Alabama Department of Environmental Management, Drinking Water Branch, results from Jan. 6, 2020 to Oct. 8, 2026, read Oct. 17, 2026
- EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, file of Feb. 5, 2024
- Disinfectant: EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data, additional data elements, file of Oct. 15, 2026
- Certified labs: ADEM, certified bacteriological, chemical and PFAS drinking water laboratories, read Oct. 17, 2026; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer
- Hardness: Alabama Department of Environmental Management, Drinking Water Branch, results from June 13, 2016 to June 11, 2025, read Oct. 17, 2026
- Limits and goals: each contaminant’s page, with its EPA source.
- How this page is built: methodology.
PWSID AL0001211. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
What to do next
- Read up on PFOAWhat each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.About PFOA
- Get the utility’s own reportCity of Springville must send you a water quality report every year. It covers contaminants this page does not show.How to read it
- Test your own tap for leadYour service line, solder and fixtures decide the lead at your faucet, not the utility’s average.Lead in your water: what to do
- Compare certified filtersWhat the filters certified for these results cost over five years, cartridges included.Compare five-year costs