Is Cave, MO tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 2 utilities serving Cave has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and CDC’s records: Lincoln County PWSD 1.
Troy PWS, 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 251 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 Cave’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Troy PWS
Missouri · serves 15,000 people · under 100 in Cave
3 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 251 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Lincoln County PWSD 1
Missouri · serves 14,000 people · under 100 in Cave
1 result above the legal limit, 2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Fluoride at 4.2 ppm, above the legal limit.
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 Troy PWS’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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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 Cave
The 3 labs Missouri certifies closest to Cave, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
R.M. Wester and Associates Inc.
St. Peters, MO · about 29 miles
Certified for bacteria
Eurofins St. Louis Laboratory
Earth City, MO · about 37 miles
Certified for radioactivity
City of St. Louis-Howard Bend Laboratory
Chesterfield, MO · about 39 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals
Missouri State Public Health Laboratory: Coliform and E. coli testing for private wells and other private drinking water sources, in kits from your local public health agency. A free state courier can carry the sample to the lab overnight. The handling fee is $10, by check or money order. Private Drinking Water Bacteriological Testing, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
All 64 certified labs for MissouriWhich ZIP codes are in Cave: 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: Missouri DNR, certified microbiological and chemical laboratories; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer.
Near Cave
Towns nearby with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Troy PWS’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