Tuscaloosa County, Alabama: drinking water report. Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama has a population of about 227,000 and draws its water
Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama has a population of about 227,000 and draws its water primarily from the Black Warrior River. The Tuscaloosa Water and Sewer Department operates the treatment plant that serves the city and surrounding areas. Upstream of the intake, the Black Warrior watershed receives coal mine drainage, industrial discharges, and wastewater effluent from smaller communities. The river has appeared on environmental watchlists for decades due to the cumulative impact of these upstream sources.
The Black Warrior River has been named one of America's most endangered rivers multiple times by the conservation group American Rivers. Coal mining operations in Walker and Jefferson Counties upstream contribute sediment, heavy metals, and acid mine drainage. According to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management's 2024 monitoring data, Tuscaloosa's treated water meets federal standards, but the raw water requires intensive treatment to get there.
The EPA's UCMR5 program detected PFAS at low levels in the Tuscaloosa system. While the county lacks the major military PFAS sources that drive contamination elsewhere, industrial facilities along the Black Warrior contribute PFAS through their discharge permits. ADEM data shows two sampling points in the county recorded PFAS detections above 2 ppt during the most recent monitoring cycle.
Tuscaloosa's treatment plant works hard to clean up what the Black Warrior delivers, but heavy rain events can overwhelm treatment capacity temporarily, and that is when quality dips are most likely to occur.
Check your water to see the latest data for your ZIP code. An activated carbon filter addresses most disinfection byproducts and improves taste. For PFAS, reverse osmosis is the stronger choice. Our water filter guide compares options by contaminant type. Get your detailed report for historical trends, and see our Alabama page for statewide patterns.