Is Sylvania, AL tap water safe?
The short answer
Neither of the 2 utilities serving Sylvania has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Alabama’s records.
Northeast Alabama Water Sewer and Fpd, which serves the most people here, has 2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOA at 11.9 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
The water from Northeast Alabama Water Sewer and Fpd is hard, 123 mg/L (7.2 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 Sylvania’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Northeast Alabama Water Sewer and Fpd
Alabama · serves 47,070 people · about 350 in Sylvania
2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOA at 11.9 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: hard, 123 mg/L (7.2 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Section & Dutton, Water Works Bd. of
Alabama · serves 35,259 people · under 100 in Sylvania
Nothing in its records is above a health goal. Hardness: moderately hard, 71 mg/L (4.2 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in Northeast Alabama Water Sewer and Fpd’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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Countertop reverse osmosis
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: PFOA, PFOS, Lead, Arsenic
Aquasana SmartFlow Reverse Osmosis (AQ-SFRO2)
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: PFOA, PFOS, Lead, Arsenic
Brondell Capella RC250 Reverse Osmosis System
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: PFOA, PFOS, Lead, Arsenic
Water testing near Sylvania
The 3 labs Alabama certifies closest to Sylvania, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Albertville Bacteriological laboratory
Albertville, AL · about 27 miles
Certified for bacteria
Southern Environmental Testing
Decatur, AL · about 68 miles
Certified for bacteria
Analytical Industrial Research Laboratories
Cleveland, TN · about 69 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 Sylvania: 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 Sylvania
Other towns in DeKalb County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Northeast Alabama Water Sewer and Fpd’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for PFOARanked 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