Is Festus, MO tap water safe?
The short answer
None of the 6 utilities serving Festus has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and CDC’s records.
Festus PWS, 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 19.1 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 Festus’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Festus PWS
Missouri · serves 13,000 people · about 580 in Festus
1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 19.1 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Jefferson County PWSD 12
Missouri · serves 3,300 people · about 290 in Festus
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 1.4 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Jefferson County PWSD 5
Missouri · serves 8,000 people · about 220 in Festus
1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 27 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Jefferson County PWSD 7
Missouri · serves 6,100 people · about 130 in Festus
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 1.7 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Jefferson County Water Authority
Missouri · serves 25 people · lists Festus among the places it serves
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 2.1 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Crystal Cove MHP
Missouri · serves 40 people · based in Festus
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 3.0 ppb, above the health goal.
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 Festus 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
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
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
Water testing near Festus
The 3 labs Missouri certifies closest to Festus, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Eastern Missouri Water Lab
Lonedell, MO · about 28 miles
Certified for bacteria
EMSL Analytical Inc.-St. Louis
St. Louis, MO · about 28 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Pace Analytical Services LLC-Hazelwood
Hazelwood, MO · about 33 miles
Certified for bacteria
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 MissouriZIP codes in Festus
Which ZIP codes are in Festus: 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 Festus
Other towns in Jefferson County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Festus 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