St. Louis, MO Water Quality Report
Is St. Louis tap water safe? See PFAS and lead contamination levels for St. Louis, Missouri. Compare to EPA limits and get filter recommendations.
Quick Answers
Is St. Louis, MO tap water safe to drink? St. Louis, MO tap water meets most federal EPA limits, but PFAS compounds have been detected at an average of 0.01 ppt across 1 compound. A certified pitcher filter or reverse osmosis system is recommended for sensitive populations.
What contaminants are in St. Louis, MO water? Top PFAS compounds detected in St. Louis water: PFBA (0.01 ppt). See the full table for all monitored contaminants and comparison to EPA limits.
What filter should I use in St. Louis, MO? Match the filter to what's in Missouri water: reverse osmosis handles PFAS, lead, and arsenic together (90%+ removal); NSF-53 certified pitchers like Clearly Filtered or ZeroWater cover taps you drink from. A standard Brita pitcher will not remove PFAS.
St. Louis, MO Water Quality Summary
EPA testing has detected PFAS "forever chemicals" in St. Louis, MO drinking water. Recent monitoring found a peak level of 0.01 ppt across 1 water system, representing an average of 0.01 ppt across 1 detected compound.
Contamination Level: LOW – Low contamination – PFAS detected but at lower levels; monitoring continues.
Top Detected Compounds
- PFBA: 0.01 ppt
Lead in St. Louis, MO Water
EPA Lead and Copper Rule testing has recorded 50 lead samples for St. Louis water systems, with a 90th-percentile high of 0.1978 mg/L (above 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. Louis, MO
St. Louis public water systems have 3 health-based EPA Safe Drinking Water Act violations on record, including Chromium. 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. Louis, MO: approximately 300,576.
ZIP Codes Served
Compare St. Louis, MO to Other Cities
Side-by-side PFAS contamination comparisons with same-state, regional, and national peers.
What St. Louis, Missouri Residents Should Do
- Enter your exact ZIP code at knowyourexposure.com for address-level data
- If anyone in your household is pregnant or under 5, prioritize a certified PFAS filter now and consider a home test kit
- For long-term protection, an NSF/ANSI 58 reverse osmosis system removes 94-99% of PFAS
- Read the Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) your Missouri utility publishes each year