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Flatwoods Water Company water quality report, rewritten

Serves
9,649
Connections
3,573
Water source
Surface water bought from another system
Based in
Flatwoods, KY
County
Greenup
Owner
Private
The ZIP code it serves

41139

PWSID KY0450132 · EPA data

Read this first

  • PFOA (above the health goal) was found in one of 8 samples, highest 6.5 ppt. Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.
  • Lead (above the health goal) In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 2.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.

6 health-based violations since 2016. Details are below.

What handles it

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 Jan. 10, 2023 to Dec. 18, 2023. Each blue tick on a scale is one sample where it was found.

Lead and copper: EPA SDWIS monitoring periods ending 2003 to 2024. The pointer marks the latest period; each blue tick is an earlier one.

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.

PFOA (above the health goal)

Comes from the source

6.5 (above the legal limit in at least one sample)ppt

Highest of 8 samples; found in one

Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.

What handles it

Lead (above the health goal)

Comes from pipes, often your own

2.0ppb

90th percentile, 2022 to 2024

In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 2.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.

What handles it

PFBS

Comes from the source

4.0ppt

Highest of 8 samples; found in one

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
PFHxA3.2 ppt1 of 8None covers it

Tested and not found

Below EPA’s minimum reporting level in every sample taken from Jan. 10, 2023 to Dec. 18, 2023. Not found means not measured above that level, which is not the same as zero.

All 27 compounds tested and not found
  • 11Cl-PF3OUdS
  • 4:2 FTS
  • 6:2 FTS
  • 8:2 FTS
  • 9Cl-PF3ONS
  • ADONA
  • HFPO-DA (GenX)
  • Lithium
  • NEtFOSAA
  • NFDHA
  • NMeFOSAA
  • PFBA
  • PFDA
  • PFDoA
  • PFEESA
  • PFHpA
  • PFHpS
  • PFHxS
  • PFMBA
  • PFMPA
  • PFNA
  • PFOS
  • PFPeA
  • PFPeS
  • PFTA
  • PFTrDA
  • PFUnA

Violations since 2016

Contaminant or ruleTypePeriodMeasuredStatus
TTHMThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageApril 1, 2017 to June 30, 20170.085 MG/LResolved
TTHMThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageJan. 1, 2017 to March 31, 20170.092 MG/LResolved
TTHMThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageOct. 1, 2016 to Dec. 31, 20160.091 MG/LResolved
TTHMThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageJuly 1, 2016 to Sept. 30, 20160.09 MG/LResolved
TTHMThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageApril 1, 2016 to June 30, 20160.094 MG/LResolved
TTHMThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageJan. 1, 2016 to March 31, 20160.087 MG/LResolved
Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record.

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

    Claims: PFOA Reduction, Lead Reduction

    Other certifiers’ wording: Total PFAS Reduction; Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)

    For: PFOA, Lead

  • NSF/ANSI 58

    Claims: Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), Lead Reduction

    For: PFOA, Lead

At the tap, or for the whole house?

Lead and copper usually come from pipes and fixtures inside or near your home. A whole-house system sits where water enters, so it cannot catch what your own plumbing adds after it. For those, the filter that counts is the one at the tap. How whole-house systems compare.

Compare five-year costs

Filters with those claims on a certifier’s listing

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

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 Flatwoods Water Company’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 Jan. 10, 2023 to Dec. 18, 2023.

Other Kentucky utilities

All Kentucky utilities

Sources

What to do next

  • Read up on the 2 marked results

    What each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.

    Start with PFOA

  • Get the utility’s own report

    Flatwoods Water Company 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

  • Compare certified filters

    What the filters certified for these results cost over five years, cartridges included.

    Compare five-year costs