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Alexandriawater quality report, rewritten

Serves
15,000
Connections
4,047
Water source
Groundwater
Based in
Alexandria, MN
County
Douglas
Owner
Local government

ZIP codes served: 56308

PWSID MN12100012026 edition · EPA data

Read this first

  • PFOS was found in one of 2 samples, highest 4.4 ppt. Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.
  • Copper The 90th-percentile result was 1.4 ppm, above the 1.3 ppm action level.
  • Lithium was found in two of 2 samples, highest 14.9 ppb. Above EPA’s health reference level of 10 ppb, a screening level rather than an enforceable limit.

No health-based violations on file since 2016. EPA lists 2 monitoring or reporting violations, which are paperwork and testing lapses rather than water quality findings.

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.

PFOS

Comes from the source

4.4ppt

Highest of 2 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

  • NSF/ANSI 53Look for: PFOS ReductionAlso listed as: Total PFAS Reduction; Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)
  • NSF/ANSI 58Look for: Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)

EPA UCMR 5, samples taken on May 20, 2025. Each blue tick is one sample where it was found.

Copper

Comes from pipes, often your own

1.4ppm

90th percentile, 2018

The 90th-percentile result was 1.4 ppm, above the 1.3 ppm action level.

What handles it

EPA SDWIS, lead and copper monitoring periods ending 1992 to 2018. The pointer marks the latest period; each blue tick is an earlier one.

Lithium

Comes from the source

14.9ppb

Highest of 2 samples; found in two

Above EPA’s health reference level of 10 ppb, a screening level rather than an enforceable limit.

What handles it

No certification claim covers this compound yet.

EPA UCMR 5, samples taken from Nov. 25, 2024 to May 20, 2025. Each blue tick is one sample where it was found.

PFHxS

Comes from the source

8.8ppt

Highest of 2 samples; found in two

Detected, below the legal limit and the health goal.

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 53Look for: Total PFAS ReductionAlso listed as: Perfluorohexane Sulfonic Acid (PFHxS)

EPA UCMR 5, samples taken from Nov. 25, 2024 to May 20, 2025. Each blue tick is one sample where it was found.

PFBS

Comes from the source

3.8ppt

Highest of 2 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

EPA UCMR 5, samples taken on May 20, 2025. Each blue tick is one sample where it was found.

Tested and not found

Below EPA’s minimum reporting level in every sample taken from Nov. 25, 2024 to May 20, 2025. 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)
  • Lead
  • NEtFOSAA
  • NFDHA
  • NMeFOSAA
  • PFBA
  • PFDA
  • PFDoA
  • PFEESA
  • PFHpA
  • PFHpS
  • PFHxA
  • PFMBA
  • PFMPA
  • PFNA
  • PFOA
  • PFPeA
  • PFPeS
  • PFTA
  • PFTrDA
  • PFUnA

Violations since 2016

No health-based violations on file with EPA since 2016. There are 2 monitoring or reporting violations: a sample missed, late or not reported.

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: PFOS Reduction, Copper Reduction

    For: PFOS, Copper

  • NSF/ANSI 58

    Claims: Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS), Copper Reduction

    For: PFOS, Copper

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 Alexandria’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 Nov. 25, 2024 to May 20, 2025.

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