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Lamar PWS water quality report, rewritten

Serves
4,500
Connections
2,063
Water source
Surface water
Based in
Lamar, MO
County
Barton
Owner
Local government
The ZIP code it serves

64759

PWSID MO50104462026 edition · EPA data

Read this first

  • PFOA (above the health goal) was found in one of 4 samples, highest 6.2 ppt. Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.
  • Lithium (above EPA’s health benchmark) was found in two of 4 samples, highest 11 ppb. Above EPA’s health reference level of 10 ppb, a screening level rather than an enforceable limit.
  • Lead (above the health goal) In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 1.6 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.

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

What handles it

What was found

Highlighted: above the health goal, or EPA’s health benchmark where there is no goal. Circled: above the legal limit in at least one sample, or the action level. Every scale puts that line at its middle.

PFOA (above the health goal)

Comes from the source

6.2 (above the legal limit in at least one sample)ppt

Highest of 4 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: PFOA ReductionSame claim, other certifiers’ wording: Total PFAS Reduction; Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)
  • NSF/ANSI 58Look for: Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)

NSF’s PFAS claims are tested to below 20 ppt. EPA’s limit is 4.0 ppt, and EPA says no certification yet shows a filter reaching its levels.

EPA UCMR 5, samples taken on May 14, 2024. Each blue tick is one sample where it was found.

11ppb

Highest of 4 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 Feb. 13, 2024 to Nov. 18, 2024. Each blue tick is one sample where it was found.

Lead (above the health goal)

Comes from pipes, often your own

1.6ppb

90th percentile, 2023 to 2025

In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 1.6 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.

What handles it

EPA SDWIS, lead and copper monitoring periods ending 2013 to 2025. The pointer marks the latest period; each blue tick is an earlier one.

Tested and not found

Below EPA’s minimum reporting level in every sample taken from Feb. 13, 2024 to Nov. 18, 2024. Not found means not measured above that level, which is not the same as zero.

All 28 compounds tested and not found
  • 11Cl-PF3OUdS
  • 4:2 FTS
  • 6:2 FTS
  • 8:2 FTS
  • 9Cl-PF3ONS
  • ADONA
  • HFPO-DA (GenX)
  • NEtFOSAA
  • NFDHA
  • NMeFOSAA
  • PFBA
  • PFBS
  • PFDA
  • PFDoA
  • PFEESA
  • PFHpA
  • PFHpS
  • PFHxA
  • PFHxS
  • PFMBA
  • PFMPA
  • PFNA
  • PFOS
  • PFPeA
  • PFPeS
  • PFTA
  • PFTrDA
  • PFUnA

Violations since 2016

Contaminant or ruleTypePeriodMeasuredStatus
TTHMThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageJan. 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020106 UG/LResolved
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageOct. 1, 2019 to Dec. 31, 201964 UG/LResolved
TTHMThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageOct. 1, 2019 to Dec. 31, 2019114 UG/LResolved
Total organic carbonNot enough organic matter was removed. It reacts with disinfectant to form byproducts.EPA: Treatment Technique Precursor RemovalJuly 1, 2019 to Sept. 30, 2019—Resolved
TTHMThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageJuly 1, 2019 to Sept. 30, 2019119 UG/LResolved
TTHMThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageApril 1, 2019 to June 30, 2019106 UG/LResolved
Total organic carbonNot enough organic matter was removed. It reacts with disinfectant to form byproducts.EPA: Treatment Technique Precursor RemovalApril 1, 2019 to June 30, 2019—Resolved
TTHMThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageJan. 1, 2019 to March 31, 201984 UG/LResolved
Total organic carbonNot enough organic matter was removed. It reacts with disinfectant to form byproducts.EPA: Treatment Technique Precursor RemovalJan. 1, 2019 to March 31, 2019—Resolved
TTHMThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageApril 1, 2018 to June 30, 201884.4 UG/LResolved
TTHMThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageJan. 1, 2018 to March 31, 201883.2 UG/LResolved
TTHMThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageApril 1, 2017 to June 30, 201781 UG/LResolved
TTHMThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageJan. 1, 2017 to March 31, 201784 UG/LResolved
TTHMThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageOct. 1, 2016 to Dec. 31, 201691 UG/LResolved
TTHMThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageJuly 1, 2016 to Sept. 30, 201697 UG/LResolved
TTHMThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageApril 1, 2016 to June 30, 2016113 UG/LResolved
TTHMThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageJan. 1, 2016 to March 31, 2016109 UG/LResolved
Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 6 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.”

  • NSF/ANSI 53

    Claims: PFOA Reduction, Lead Reduction

    For: PFOA, Lead

  • NSF/ANSI 58

    Claims: Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), Lead Reduction

    For: PFOA, 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 Lamar PWS’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. 13, 2024 to Nov. 18, 2024.

What to do next

  1. Read up on the 3 marked results

    What each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.

    Start with PFOA

  2. Get the utility’s own report

    Lamar PWS must send you a water quality report every year. It lists nitrate, arsenic and byproduct levels this page cannot.

    How to read it

  3. Test your own tap for lead

    Your service line, solder and fixtures decide the lead at your faucet, not the utility’s average.

    Lead in your water: what to do

  4. Compare certified filters

    What the filters certified for these results cost over five years, cartridges included.

    Compare five-year costs

Other Missouri utilities

All Missouri utilities

Sources