TapBuff
ZIP
Menu

Purdue Univ. Water Works water quality report, rewritten

Serves
50,000
Connections
241
Water source
Groundwater
Based in
West Lafayette, IN
County
Tippecanoe
Owner
State government
The 2 ZIP codes it serves

47906, 47907

PWSID IN5279015 · EPA data

Read this first

Nothing in the federal data for this utility is above a health goal. That covers PFAS, lithium, lead and copper; it does not cover everything, so read what this report cannot tell you below.

No health-based violations on file since 2016. EPA lists 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are paperwork and testing lapses rather than water quality findings.

What was found

Highlighted: above the health goal, or EPA’s health benchmark where there is no goal. Circled: above the legal limit in at least one sample, or the action level. Every scale puts that line at its middle.

PFAS and lithium: EPA UCMR 5, samples taken from Feb. 27, 2023 to Aug. 8, 2023. Each blue tick on a scale is one sample where it was found.

NSF’s PFAS claims are tested to below 20 ppt. EPA’s limit is 10 ppt, and EPA says no certification yet shows a filter reaching its levels.

PFHxS

Comes from the source

6.8ppt

Highest of 12 samples; found in two

Detected, below the legal limit and the health goal.

What handles it

PFBS

Comes from the source

17.4ppt

Highest of 12 samples; found in two

Below EPA’s hazard index benchmark of 2,000 ppt. PFBS has no legal limit or health goal of its own.

What handles it

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.

CompoundHighest sampleFound inCertification claim
PFPeA11.5 ppt2 of 12None covers it
PFHxA11.3 ppt2 of 12None covers it
PFPeS8.4 ppt1 of 12None covers it
PFBA5.6 ppt1 of 12None covers it

Tested and not found

Below EPA’s minimum reporting level in every sample taken from Feb. 27, 2023 to Aug. 8, 2023. Not found means not measured above that level, which is not the same as zero.

All 25 compounds tested and not found
  • 11Cl-PF3OUdS
  • 4:2 FTS
  • 6:2 FTS
  • 8:2 FTS
  • 9Cl-PF3ONS
  • ADONA
  • HFPO-DA (GenX)
  • Lead
  • Lithium
  • NEtFOSAA
  • NFDHA
  • NMeFOSAA
  • PFDA
  • PFDoA
  • PFEESA
  • PFHpA
  • PFHpS
  • PFMBA
  • PFMPA
  • PFNA
  • PFOA
  • PFOS
  • PFTA
  • PFTrDA
  • PFUnA

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 cannot tell you

  • Levels of everything else. Federal bulk data carries results for PFAS, lithium, lead and copper, and violations for the rest. Nitrate, arsenic, disinfection byproducts and other levels are in Purdue Univ. Water Works’s own annual report, which it must send you every year.
  • 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.
  • Anything after the latest data. SDWIS data is from 2026 Q2; UCMR 5 samples are from Feb. 27, 2023 to Aug. 8, 2023.

Other Indiana utilities

All Indiana utilities

Sources

What to do next

  • Nothing here is above a health goal

    In the federal data for this utility. That data does not cover everything, which is why the next step matters.

    Every contaminant TapBuff tracks

  • Get the utility’s own report

    Purdue Univ. Water Works must send you a water quality report every year. It lists nitrate, arsenic and byproduct levels this page cannot.

    How to read it

  • Test your own tap for lead

    Your service line, solder and fixtures decide the lead at your faucet, not the utility’s average.

    Lead in your water: what to do

  • Decide if you want a filter at all

    A filter for taste or chlorine is a preference, not a need. The standards say what each kind can do.

    NSF/ANSI standards, decoded