Is Richmond, MO tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 2 utilities serving Richmond has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and CDC’s records: Richmond PWS.
Richmond PWS, which serves the most people here, has 2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 24.2 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 Richmond’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Richmond PWS
Missouri · serves 5,797 people · about 240 in Richmond
2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 24.2 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Ray County Cons PWSD 2
Missouri · serves 9,360 people · under 100 in Richmond
1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 22 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 Richmond PWS’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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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: Lead, 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: Lead, Arsenic
Water testing near Richmond
The 3 labs Missouri certifies closest to Richmond, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
City of Independence Water Department
Sugar Creek, MO · about 23 miles
Certified for bacteria
Tri-County Water Authority
Independence, MO · about 23 miles
Certified for bacteria
Kansas City Water Services Laboratory
Kansas City, MO · about 36 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts
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 Richmond
Which ZIP codes are in Richmond: 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 Richmond
Towns nearby with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Richmond 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