Is Madison, MS tap water safe?
The short answer
2 of the 5 utilities serving Madison have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Mississippi’s records: City of Canton and Cmu - Lake Caroline.
Bear Creek W/A - West, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 18.1 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 Madison’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Bear Creek W/A - West
Mississippi · serves 26,677 people · about 5,500 in Madison
1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 18.1 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Bear Creek W/A - East
Mississippi · serves 18,770 people · about 5,000 in Madison
1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 37.6 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
City of Canton
Mississippi · serves 16,785 people · about 1,300 in Madison
1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 22.6 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Cmu - Lake Caroline
Mississippi · serves 8,511 people · about 840 in Madison
2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 23.9 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
City of Madison
Mississippi · serves 16,136 people · about 570 in Madison
1 result above the health goal and 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
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in Bear Creek W/A - West’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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Brita Tahoe Pitcher with Elite Filter (OB60, OB06)
Pitcher
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 13, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 53checked Oct. 13, 2026
Certified for: Lead
Brita Everyday Pitcher with Elite Filter (OB46, OB06)
Pitcher
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 13, 2026
Certified for: Lead
PUR PLUS 11-Cup Pitcher (PPT111W)
Pitcher
- NSF listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Lead
Water testing near Madison
No lab Mississippi certifies is within 75 miles of Madison on the state’s list. Some take samples by mail; the state’s page lists them all.
Mississippi State Department of Health: Bacteria testing for private wells: apply online, and the department takes a sample from your well and tests it. It does not test for minerals or chemicals. $10 plus a processing fee, invoiced by email. Private Well Sample application, Mississippi State Department of Health.
All 5 certified labs for MississippiZIP codes in Madison
Which ZIP codes are in Madison: 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 Madison
Other towns in Madison County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Bear Creek W/A - West’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