Is Ashland, KY tap water safe?
The short answer
3 of the 3 utilities serving Ashland have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Kentucky’s records: Ashland Water Works, Russell Water Company and Cannonsburg Water District.
Ashland Water Works, which serves the most people here, has 2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 2.0 ppb, above the health goal. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
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 Ashland’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Ashland Water Works
Kentucky · serves 44,402 people · about 12,700 in Ashland
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 2.0 ppb, above the health goal.
6 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Russell Water Company
Kentucky · serves 5,181 people · about 1,100 in Ashland
1 result above the legal limit and 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) at 74.6 ppb, above the legal limit.
2 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Cannonsburg Water District
Kentucky · serves 8,953 people · about 400 in Ashland
1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029, 1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: PFOA at 6.8 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
3 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 Ashland Water Works’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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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: 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: Lead, Arsenic
Water testing near Ashland
TapBuff hasn’t read Kentucky’s list of certified labs yet. The national page links every state’s own list.
Certified labs, state by stateWhich ZIP codes are in Ashland: 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.
Near Ashland
Towns nearby with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Ashland Water Works’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for LeadRanked by certification and what they cost over five years.The best water filters for lead, ranked
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water