Is Helena, AL tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 4 utilities serving Helena has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Alabama’s records: City of Alabaster Water Department.
City of Helena, the Ub of the, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 7.0 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
The water from City of Helena, the Ub of the is hard, 168 mg/L (9.8 grains per gallon). How Alabama’s water compares.
A town can be served by more than one utility, and some homes are on private wells. The name on your water bill tells you which is yours, and your ZIP code narrows it down. They are listed by how many people each serves in Helena’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
City of Helena, the Ub of the
Alabama · serves 21,300 people · about 6,400 in Helena
1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 7.0 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: hard, 168 mg/L (9.8 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Bessemer Water Service
Alabama · serves 86,091 people · about 520 in Helena
1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 1 result above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 5.9 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Central Alabama Water
Alabama · serves 653,322 people · about 500 in Helena
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 1.2 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard, 110 mg/L (6.4 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
City of Alabaster Water Department
Alabama · serves 40,986 people · about 170 in Helena
1 result above the legal limit, 2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) at 54.4 ppb, above the legal limit. Hardness: very hard, 195 mg/L (11.4 grains per gallon).
1 health-based violation since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in City of Helena, the Ub of the’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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ZeroWater 10 Cup Pitcher (ZP-010)
Pitcher
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: PFOS, PFOA, Lead
Aquasana Claryum Direct Connect (AQ-MF-1)
Under-sink carbon
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
Certified for: PFOS, PFOA, Lead
Express Water StreamLine Direct Connect System (USC001)
Under-sink carbon
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
Certified for: PFOS, PFOA, Lead
Water testing near Helena
The 3 labs Alabama certifies closest to Helena, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Safety Environmental Services
Pelham, AL · about 3 miles
Certified for bacteria
Living Water Services
Alabaster, AL · about 10 miles
Certified for bacteria
Sutherland Environmental Testing Laboratory
Birmingham, AL · about 17 miles
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 AlabamaWhich ZIP codes are in Helena: Census 2020 relationship files. Which utilities serve them, and how many people: EPA SDWIS and EPA’s service area map. Each utility’s results: EPA UCMR 5, EPA SDWIS, and EPA’s and the state’s compliance monitoring, as its report lists them. How they are measured: methodology. Certified labs: ADEM, certified bacteriological, chemical and PFAS drinking water laboratories; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer.
Near Helena
Other towns in Jefferson County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read City of Helena, the Ub of the’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for PFOSRanked by certification and what they cost over five years.The best water filters for PFAS, ranked
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water