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Dayton Public Water System water quality report, rewritten

Serves
141,407
Connections
50,351
Water source
Surface water
Based in
Dayton, OH
County
Montgomery
Owner
Local government
The 24 ZIP codes it serves

45315, 45322, 45377, 45402, 45403, 45404, 45405, 45406, 45408, 45409, 45410, 45414, 45415, 45416, 45417, 45419, 45420, 45424, 45426, 45427, 45428, 45431, 45432, 45439

PWSID OH57035122026 edition · EPA data

Read this first

  • Copper (above the health goal) In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 53 ppm, above the 1.3 ppm action level.
  • Lead (above the health goal) In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 470 ppb, above the 15 ppb action level. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027, and this result is at or above that. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.
  • PFOS (above the health goal) was found in four of 8 samples, highest 10 ppt. Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.

No health-based violations on file since 2016.

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.

Copper (above the health goal)

Comes from pipes, often your own

53 (above the action level)ppm

90th percentile, 2005

In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 53 ppm, above the 1.3 ppm action level.

What handles it

EPA SDWIS, lead and copper monitoring periods ending 2005. The pointer marks the latest period; each blue tick is an earlier one.

Lead (above the health goal)

Comes from pipes, often your own

470 (above the action level)ppb

90th percentile, 2024 to 2026

In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 470 ppb, above the 15 ppb action level. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027, and this result is at or above that. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.

What handles it

EPA SDWIS, lead and copper monitoring periods ending 2010 to 2026. The pointer marks the latest period; each blue tick is an earlier one.

PFOS (above the health goal)

Comes from the source

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

Highest of 8 samples; found in four

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: PFOS ReductionSame claim, other certifiers’ wording: Total PFAS Reduction; Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)
  • NSF/ANSI 58Look for: Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)

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 from March 28, 2023 to Dec. 4, 2023. Each blue tick is one sample where it was found.

PFHxS

Comes from the source

9.8ppt

Highest of 8 samples; found in four

Detected, below the legal limit and the health goal.

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 53Look for: Total PFAS ReductionSame claim, other certifiers’ wording: Perfluorohexane Sulfonic Acid (PFHxS)

NSF’s PFAS claims are tested to below 20 ppt. EPA’s limit is 10 ppt, and EPA says no certification yet shows a filter reaching its levels.

EPA UCMR 5, samples taken from March 28, 2023 to Dec. 4, 2023. Each blue tick is one sample where it was found.

PFBS

Comes from the source

3.0ppt

Highest of 8 samples; found in one

Below EPA’s hazard index benchmark of 2,000 ppt. PFBS has no legal limit or health goal of its own.

What handles it

EPA UCMR 5, samples taken on Sept. 6, 2023. Each blue tick is one sample where it was found.

Also found, with no federal limit

EPA measured these PFAS to learn how often they occur. None has a legal limit or a health goal yet.

CompoundHighest sampleFound inCertification claim
PFPeA4.6 ppt4 of 8None covers it
PFHxA4.4 ppt4 of 8None covers it

Tested and not found

Below EPA’s minimum reporting level in every sample taken from March 28, 2023 to Dec. 4, 2023. Not found means not measured above that level, which is not the same as zero.

All 25 compounds tested and not found
  • 11Cl-PF3OUdS
  • 4:2 FTS
  • 6:2 FTS
  • 8:2 FTS
  • 9Cl-PF3ONS
  • ADONA
  • HFPO-DA (GenX)
  • Lithium
  • NEtFOSAA
  • NFDHA
  • NMeFOSAA
  • PFBA
  • PFDA
  • PFDoA
  • PFEESA
  • PFHpA
  • PFHpS
  • PFMBA
  • PFMPA
  • PFNA
  • PFOA
  • PFPeS
  • PFTA
  • PFTrDA
  • PFUnA

Violations since 2016

No health-based violations on file with EPA since 2016.

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: Copper Reduction, Lead Reduction, PFOS Reduction

    For: Copper, Lead, PFOS

  • NSF/ANSI 58

    Claims: Copper Reduction, Lead Reduction, Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)

    For: Copper, Lead, PFOS

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 Dayton Public Water System’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 March 28, 2023 to Dec. 4, 2023.

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 Copper

  2. Get the utility’s own report

    Dayton Public Water System 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 Ohio utilities

All Ohio utilities

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