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Birminghamwater quality report, rewritten

Serves
20,472
Connections
8,484
Water source
Surface water bought from another system
Based in
Birmingham, MI
County
Oakland
Owner
Local government

ZIP codes served: 48009, 48012

PWSID MI00007302026 edition · EPA data

Read this first

  • Lead The 90th-percentile result was 3.1 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.

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

What handles it

What was found

Highlighted: above the health goal. Circled: above the legal limit in at least one sample. Every scale puts the legal line at its middle.

Lead

Comes from pipes, often your own

3.1ppb

90th percentile, 2025

The 90th-percentile result was 3.1 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.

What handles it

EPA SDWIS, lead and copper monitoring periods ending 2020 to 2025. The pointer marks the latest period; each blue tick is an earlier one.

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
PFBA5.4 ppt1 of 4None covers it

Tested and not found

Below EPA’s minimum reporting level in every sample taken from Feb. 28, 2023 to Nov. 6, 2023. Not found means not measured above that level, which is not the same as zero.

  • 11Cl-PF3OUdS
  • 4:2 FTS
  • 6:2 FTS
  • 8:2 FTS
  • 9Cl-PF3ONS
  • ADONA
  • HFPO-DA (GenX)
  • Lithium
  • NEtFOSAA
  • NFDHA
  • NMeFOSAA
  • PFBS
  • PFDA
  • PFDoA
  • PFEESA
  • PFHpA
  • PFHpS
  • PFHxA
  • PFHxS
  • PFMBA
  • PFMPA
  • PFNA
  • PFOA
  • PFOS
  • PFPeA
  • PFPeS
  • PFTA
  • PFTrDA
  • PFUnA

Violations since 2016

Contaminant or ruleTypePeriodMeasuredStatus
Lead and Copper RuleWQP Entry Point/Tap Treatment Technique Non-ComplianceJuly 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2023—Resolved
Lead and Copper RuleWQP Entry Point/Tap Treatment Technique Non-ComplianceJan. 1, 2023 to June 30, 2023—Resolved
Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 5 monitoring or reporting violations not shown.

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.”

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 Birmingham’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. 28, 2023 to Nov. 6, 2023.