Pulaski County, Arkansas: drinking water report. Pulaski County is home to Little Rock and about 399,000 residents – the most populous county in Arkansas.
Pulaski County is home to Little Rock and about 399,000 residents – the most populous county in Arkansas. Central Arkansas Water draws from Lake Maumelle and Lake Winona, supplemented by the Arkansas River. Lake Maumelle's watershed is protected by strict land use controls, producing consistently clean source water. However, the county's urbanization and the former military installations in the area create localized concerns.
Lake Maumelle is one of the better-protected municipal water sources in the South, with development restrictions across its watershed. According to Central Arkansas Water's 2024 annual report, the lake meets all source water quality parameters with wide margins. The Arkansas River supplement is treated separately and requires more extensive processing due to the river's agricultural and urban inputs.
Little Rock Air Force Base (now Little Rock AFB) in neighboring Pulaski County has documented PFAS from AFFF. The Air Force's 2024 environmental investigation found PFOS at 35 ppt in monitoring wells near the base. The contamination plume extends toward residential areas in Jacksonville and Sherwood.
Little Rock residents on Central Arkansas Water's Lake Maumelle supply benefit from excellent source water protection. The PFAS concern is specific to the Little Rock AFB area in the eastern part of the county, particularly for residents of Jacksonville on private wells.
Check your water for data at your address. For most county residents, a carbon filter addresses taste and disinfection byproducts. Near the air base, reverse osmosis adds PFAS protection. Our water filter guide covers both scenarios. Pull your detailed report for local data, and visit our Arkansas page for statewide context.
Drinking water is one exposure route. These federal datasets also cover Pulaski County, AR.
The EPA places Pulaski County, AR in Zone 3 - the EPA's lowest-risk category, with a predicted average indoor radon level below 2 pCi/L. Zone maps predict an area's radon potential from geology and existing indoor readings; they say nothing about a specific house. Testing is the only way to know your own level.
51% of homes in Pulaski County, AR were built before 1980, and 9% before 1950. Residential lead paint was banned in 1978, so housing age is the strongest available proxy for lead-paint exposure. This describes the county's housing stock, not any one home.
Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) in Pulaski County, AR averages 9.2 µg/m³, above the EPA's annual standard of 9 µg/m³. These are CDC modelled county estimates rather than readings from a specific monitor.
How radon zones work · Air quality by county · Lead exposure guide