Can you drink New Orleans tap water? What EPA records show
EPA LA1071009 · serves Orleans Parish County, LA · about 334,903 people (EPA SDWIS)
This report shows EPA's federal records for this water system: UCMR 5 testing, lead testing and violations. It isn't a test of the water at your tap, and it has no Water Score.
Public EPA test results
New Orleans Carrollton Water Works (EPA LA1071009)
ScoreYourWater.com gives no verdict on your tap water; it shows what the public records say, as of October 14, 2026. For New Orleans's main utility, New Orleans Carrollton Water Works: 1 health-based violation since July 1, 2021 in EPA records (EPA SDWIS). EPA's UCMR 5 testing looked for 30 contaminants here and found 7.
What EPA records show for New Orleans Carrollton Water Works, as of October 14, 2026
Health-based violation: Surface Water Treatment Rules, Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule, Jan 2025–Apr 2025 (EPA SDWIS).
Lead, 90th percentile: 6 ppb at the latest result in EPA records for a monitoring period that ran on or after July 1, 2021, at or below EPA's 15 ppb action level (EPA SDWIS, monitoring period Jan 1, 2023–Dec 31, 2025). The 90th percentile is a system-wide measure from homes sampled under EPA's lead rule; it isn't a result for your home.
EPA's UCMR 5 testing looked for 30 contaminants here and found 7.
Source: EPA records (SDWIS, UCMR 5). SDWIS: data as of Oct 14, 2026. EPA UCMR 5 data, samples through June 2026.
Your water bill names your utility.
Does New Orleans Carrollton Water Works use chloramine?
We didn't find chloramine in New Orleans Carrollton Water Works's EPA treatment records. That's not a complete list; your utility's annual water quality report says which disinfectant it uses.
Reported results in EPA records (data as of Oct 14–15, 2026)
EPA's UCMR 5 testing looked for 30 contaminants here and found 7.
Lithium: found in 3 of 12 samples, average 3.05 µg/L, highest 14 µg/L (EPA UCMR 5 testing, Mar 2023–Mar 2025)
PFBA (a PFAS): found in 10 of 12 samples, average 5.8 ppt, highest 9.1 ppt (EPA UCMR 5 testing, Mar 2023–Mar 2025)
PFPeA (a PFAS): found in 1 of 12 samples, average 0.70 ppt, highest 8.8 ppt (EPA UCMR 5 testing, Mar 2023–Mar 2025)
PFOS (a PFAS): found in 2 of 12 samples, average 0.70 ppt, highest 4.2 ppt (EPA UCMR 5 testing, Mar 2023–Mar 2025)
PFOA (a PFAS): found in 2 of 12 samples, average 0.70 ppt, highest 4.1 ppt (EPA UCMR 5 testing, Mar 2023–Mar 2025)
HFPO-DA (a PFAS): found in 1 of 12 samples, average 0.50 ppt, highest 5.4 ppt (EPA UCMR 5 testing, Mar 2023–Mar 2025)
PFHxA (a PFAS): found in 1 of 12 samples, average 0.30 ppt, highest 3 ppt (EPA UCMR 5 testing, Mar 2023–Mar 2025)
Lead, 90th percentile: 6 ppb at the latest result in EPA records for a monitoring period that ran on or after July 1, 2021, at or below EPA's 15 ppb action level (EPA SDWIS, monitoring period Jan 1, 2023–Dec 31, 2025). The 90th percentile is a system-wide measure from homes sampled under EPA's lead rule; it isn't a result for your home.
Health-based violation: Surface Water Treatment Rules, Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule, Jan 2025–Apr 2025 (EPA SDWIS)
Source: EPA SDWIS (ECHO SDWA bulk download), data as of Oct 14, 2026
Source: EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data, data as of Oct 15, 2026
These are EPA's public records for this water system, shown as of October 14, 2026. If you represent this utility, or think a record here is wrong, tell us: Report an error. If the error is in EPA's own records, your state drinking water program can correct it there, and this page updates at our next data refresh.
Approximate service area from EPA's Community Water System Service Area Boundaries; some boundaries are modeled estimates. Your water bill names your utility.
Solid: EPA has this type of record for the system. Grey: it does not.
Dashed outline: boundary is a modeled estimate
No boundary shown: EPA's data has no service-area boundary for the system, or the boundary's source doesn't allow us to show it.
Questions people ask
Is New Orleans tap water safe to drink?
We don't give a safe or unsafe verdict. Here is what the public data shows: EPA records for New Orleans's main utility, New Orleans Carrollton Water Works, as of October 14, 2026. 1 health-based violation since July 1, 2021 in EPA records (EPA SDWIS). EPA's UCMR 5 testing looked for 30 contaminants here and found 7. A guideline and a legal limit are different things, and this is public data, not a test of your tap.
Which utility supplies water in New Orleans?
New Orleans Carrollton Water Works is the main utility for New Orleans in EPA's records (EPA LA1071009), serving about 334,903 people (EPA SDWIS). Your water bill names your utility.
Does New Orleans tap water contain PFAS?
PFOS (a PFAS): found in 2 of 12 samples, average 0.70 ppt, highest 4.2 ppt (EPA UCMR 5 testing, Mar 2023–Mar 2025). PFOA (a PFAS): found in 2 of 12 samples, average 0.70 ppt, highest 4.1 ppt (EPA UCMR 5 testing, Mar 2023–Mar 2025). This is public data, not a test of your tap.
How recent is this data?
Source: EPA records (SDWIS, UCMR 5). SDWIS: data as of Oct 14, 2026. EPA UCMR 5 data, samples through June 2026. Data may be one to three years old and may not reflect the water at your tap. If you want your own tap tested, use a state-certified laboratory.
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