St. Joseph, MO Water Quality Report
Is St. Joseph tap water safe? See PFAS and lead contamination levels for St. Joseph, Missouri. Compare to EPA limits and get filter recommendations.
Quick Answers
Is St. Joseph tap water safe to drink? St. Joseph water has high PFAS contamination. EPA UCMR5 testing detected a peak level of 114 ppt, significantly above the EPA's 4 ppt enforceable limit. A reverse osmosis or certified PFAS filter is strongly recommended.
What contaminants are in St. Joseph water? Top PFAS compounds detected in St. Joseph water: lithium (114 ppt). See the full table for all monitored contaminants and comparison to EPA limits.
What filter should I use in St. Joseph? Reverse osmosis removes 90%+ of PFAS, lead, and arsenic. NSF-53 certified pitcher and faucet filters (ZeroWater, Clearly Filtered, LifeStraw) work for smaller households. Skip standard Brita filters for PFAS removal.
St. Joseph Water Quality Summary
EPA testing has detected PFAS "forever chemicals" in St. Joseph drinking water. Recent monitoring found a peak level of 114 ppt across 3 water systems, representing an average of 66.66 ppt across 1 detected compound.
Contamination Level: HIGH – High contamination – multiple PFAS compounds detected at levels significantly above EPA safety thresholds.
Top Detected Compounds
- lithium: 114 ppt (exceeds EPA 4 ppt limit for PFOA/PFOS)
Lead in St. Joseph Water
EPA Lead and Copper Rule testing has recorded 48 lead samples for St. Joseph water systems, with a 90th-percentile high of 0.00477 mg/L (within the EPA 0.015 mg/L action level). There is no safe level of lead for children; if your home was built before 1986, a certified NSF/ANSI 53 lead-removal filter is recommended.
EPA Violations in St. Joseph
St. Joseph public water systems have 2 health-based EPA Safe Drinking Water Act violations on record, including Haloacetic Acids (HAA5). Health-based violations mean a contaminant exceeded its federal limit or required treatment was not applied.
About the Data
These figures come from the EPA's Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule 5 (UCMR5) testing program, 2023-2025. UCMR5 is the most comprehensive national drinking water survey in US history, covering 66,000+ public water systems. Population of St. Joseph: approximately 76,780.
ZIP Codes Served
What St. Joseph Residents Should Do
- Enter your exact ZIP code at knowyourexposure.com for address-level data
- Install an NSF/ANSI 58 reverse osmosis filter (removes 94-99% of PFAS)
- If you're in a high-exposure group (pregnant, young children), consider a PFAS home test kit
- Review your utility's Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) annually