Is Opelousas, LA tap water safe?
The short answer
6 of the 7 utilities serving Opelousas have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and CDC’s records: City of Opelousas Water System, Town of Leonville Water System, Plaisance Water System and 3 more.
City of Opelousas Water System, which serves the most people here, has 3 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 29.8 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. 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 Opelousas’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
City of Opelousas Water System
Louisiana · serves 20,388 people · about 880 in Opelousas
3 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 29.8 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
7 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Town of Leonville Water System
Louisiana · serves 9,552 people · about 400 in Opelousas
1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 43.8 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
8 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Plaisance Water System
Louisiana · serves 6,465 people · under 100 in Opelousas
1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 16.4 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
2 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Lawtell Water Works District No 1
Louisiana · serves 3,717 people · under 100 in Opelousas
1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 31.8 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Lewisburg Bellevue Water System
Louisiana · serves 8,325 people · under 100 in Opelousas
1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 39.1 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Town of Washington Water System
Louisiana · serves 1,713 people · under 100 in Opelousas
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 1.0 ppb, above the health goal.
4 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Savoy Swords Water System Inc
Louisiana · serves 7,326 people · under 100 in Opelousas
2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 23.3 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
2 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 City of Opelousas Water System’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
Disclosure: 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
Countertop reverse osmosis
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Arsenic, Lead
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: Arsenic, Lead
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: Arsenic, Lead
Water testing near Opelousas
The 3 labs Louisiana certifies closest to Opelousas, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
SGS North America, Inc. - Scott
Scott, LA · about 19 miles
Certified for nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts
Element Materials Technology Lafayette, LLC
Lafayette, LA · about 27 miles
Certified for lead and copper, metals
LDH Central Laboratory
Baton Rouge, LA · about 56 miles
Certified for bacteria
ZIP codes in Opelousas
Which ZIP codes are in Opelousas: 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: LDH, laboratories certified by Louisiana for drinking water analysis; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer.
Near Opelousas
Other towns in St. Landry Parish with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read City of Opelousas Water System’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- About LithiumWhat it does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.About Lithium
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water