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New Martinsville water quality report, rewritten

Serves
5,272
Connections
2,273
Water source
Groundwater
Based in
New Martinsville, WV
County
Wetzel
Owner
Local government
The ZIP code it serves

26155

PWSID WV3305203 · EPA data

Read this first

  • PFOS (above the health goal) was found in two of 9 samples, highest 122 ppt. Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.
  • PFHxS (above the health goal) was found in eight of 9 samples, highest 84.1 ppt. Above the 10 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.
  • PFOA (above the health goal) was found in four of 9 samples, highest 8.8 ppt. Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.
  • Copper (above the health goal) In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 1.4 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 1.1 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.

No health-based violations on file since 2016. EPA lists 74 monitoring or reporting violations, which are paperwork and testing lapses rather than water quality findings.

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.

PFAS and lithium: EPA UCMR 5, samples taken from May 16, 2023 to Nov. 20, 2023. Each blue tick on a scale is one sample where it was found.

Lead and copper: EPA SDWIS monitoring periods ending 1999 to 2018. The pointer marks the latest period; each blue tick is an earlier one.

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.

PFOS (above the health goal)

Comes from the source

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

Highest of 9 samples; found in two

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

PFHxS (above the health goal)

Comes from the source

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

Highest of 9 samples; found in eight

Above the 10 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.

What handles it

PFOA (above the health goal)

Comes from the source

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

Highest of 9 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

Copper (above the health goal)

Comes from pipes, often your own

1.4 (above the action level)ppm

90th percentile, 2018

In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 1.4 ppm, above the 1.3 ppm action level.

What handles it

Lead (above the health goal)

Comes from pipes, often your own

1.1ppb

90th percentile, 2025

In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 1.1 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

PFBS

Comes from the source

12ppt

Highest of 9 samples; found in nine

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

What handles it

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
PFHxA11.7 ppt3 of 9None covers it
PFPeS6.7 ppt1 of 9None covers it
PFPeA3.9 ppt1 of 9None covers it

Tested and not found

Below EPA’s minimum reporting level in every sample taken from May 16, 2023 to Nov. 20, 2023. Not found means not measured above that level, which is not the same as zero.

All 23 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
  • PFTA
  • PFTrDA
  • PFUnA

Violations since 2016

No health-based violations on file with EPA since 2016. There are 74 monitoring or reporting violations: a sample missed, late or not reported.

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: PFOS Reduction, Total PFAS Reduction, PFOA Reduction, Copper Reduction, Lead Reduction

    Other certifiers’ wording: Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS); Perfluorohexane Sulfonic Acid (PFHxS); Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)

    For: PFOS, PFHxS, PFOA, Copper, Lead

  • NSF/ANSI 58

    Claims: Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS), Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), Copper Reduction, Lead Reduction

    For: PFOS, PFOA, Copper, 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 New Martinsville’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 May 16, 2023 to Nov. 20, 2023.

Other West Virginia utilities

All West Virginia utilities

Sources

What to do next

  • Read up on the 5 marked results

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

    Start with PFOS

  • Get the utility’s own report

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

    How to read it

  • 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

  • Compare certified filters

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

    Compare five-year costs