Pawtucket, RI Water Quality (ZIP 02860)

Quick Answers

Is ZIP 02860 tap water safe to drink? PFAS compounds have been detected in 02860's water at an average of 0.01 ppt across 1 compound. A certified pitcher filter or reverse osmosis system is recommended, especially for sensitive populations.

What filter should I use in 02860? A reverse osmosis system (NSF/ANSI 58) removes 90%+ of PFAS, lead, and arsenic. For smaller households, an NSF-53 certified pitcher (Clearly Filtered, ZeroWater) works. Standard Brita cartridges are not certified for PFAS.

ZIP 02860 Water Quality Summary

EPA testing has detected PFAS "forever chemicals" in the water system serving ZIP 02860 (Pawtucket, RI). Monitoring found a peak of 0.01 ppt across 1 system, averaging 0.01 ppt over 1 detected compound.

Contamination Level: LOW – Low contamination – PFAS detected but at lower levels; monitoring continues.

Top Detected Compounds in ZIP 02860

• 6:2 FTS: 0.01 ppt

Lead in ZIP 02860 Water

EPA Lead and Copper Rule testing recorded 24 lead samples for the system serving 02860, with a 90th-percentile high of 0.022 mg/L (above the EPA 0.015 mg/L action level). There is no safe level of lead for children; homes built before 1986 should use a certified NSF/ANSI 53 lead filter.

EPA Violations Affecting ZIP 02860

The water system serving 02860 have 3 health-based EPA Safe Drinking Water Act violations on record, including Total Organic Carbon, Haloacetic Acids (HAA5). A health-based violation means a contaminant exceeded its federal limit or required treatment was not applied.

About the Data

Source: EPA UCMR5 monitoring (2023-2025), Lead and Copper Rule samples, and SDWIS violation records tied to the water system that serves 02860 in Pawtucket, RI.

Beyond water: other exposures in Pawtucket, RI

Drinking water is one exposure route. These are the other federal datasets that cover ZIP 02860 and Providence County, RI.

Radon risk in Providence County, RI

The EPA places Providence County, RI in Zone 2 - a moderate-risk category, with a predicted average indoor radon level between 2 and 4 pCi/L. Zone maps predict the radon potential of an area from geology and existing indoor readings - they do not describe any individual home. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among people who have never smoked, and the only way to know your own level is a test kit.

Lead paint risk in Providence County, RI

Census figures show 77% of homes in Providence County, RI were built before 1980, and 44% before 1950. Lead-based paint was banned for residential use in 1978, so older housing stock is the strongest available proxy for lead-paint exposure. This is a statistic about the county's housing, not a test of any particular property - if your home predates 1980, a lead swab test is the way to check.

Air quality in Providence County, RI

Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) for Providence County, RI averages 6.2 µg/m³, within the EPA's annual PM2.5 standard of 9 µg/m³. PM2.5 is the pollution fraction small enough to reach deep into the lungs. These are CDC modelled estimates for the county as a whole, not a reading taken at this ZIP code.

Superfund sites near 02860

There is 1 EPA Superfund (National Priorities List) site within about five miles of 02860: Peterson/Puritan, Inc. (about 4.5 miles). Distances are measured from the ZIP code's geographic centre, so the distance from a specific address will differ. Proximity to a listed site is a fact about location - it is not itself evidence of exposure.

Industrial releases near 02860

EPA Toxics Release Inventory data for 2023 records 8 reporting facilities within about five miles of 02860, together reporting roughly 69,090 pounds of on-site chemical releases that year. TRI covers facilities above federal reporting thresholds, so smaller sources are not included, and a reported release is not the same as a measured concentration in air or water.