Detroit, MI Water Quality (ZIP 48203)

Quick Answers

Is ZIP 48203 tap water safe to drink? The system serving 48203 is not reported as having detected PFAS in the latest EPA UCMR5 cycle, but review the lead and regulated-contaminant results below and consider a certified filter if your home predates 1986.

What filter should I use in 48203? Match the filter to the data: reverse osmosis handles PFAS, lead, and arsenic together; NSF-53 pitchers cover the taps you drink from. A basic Brita pitcher will not remove PFAS.

ZIP 48203 Water Quality Summary

Recent EPA UCMR5 monitoring shows no PFAS detections for the system serving 48203 in Detroit, MI. Lead and regulated-contaminant results below still warrant a look.

Contamination Level: NONE – No PFAS detected in recent testing for the systems serving this ZIP code.

Lead in ZIP 48203 Water

EPA Lead and Copper Rule testing recorded 17 lead samples for the systems serving 48203, with a 90th-percentile high of 0.057 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.

About the Data

These figures come from EPA UCMR5 (2023-2025) plus Lead and Copper Rule and SDWIS records for the public water system serving ZIP 48203. UCMR5 is the most comprehensive national drinking water survey in US history.

Beyond water: other exposures in Detroit, MI

Drinking water is one exposure route. These are the other federal datasets that cover ZIP 48203 and Wayne County, MI.

Radon risk in Wayne County, MI

The EPA places Wayne County, MI in Zone 3 - the EPA's lowest-risk category, with a predicted average indoor radon level below 2 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 Wayne County, MI

Census figures show 81% of homes in Wayne County, MI were built before 1980, and 35% 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 Wayne County, MI

Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) for Wayne County, MI averages 9.5 µg/m³, above 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.

Industrial releases near 48203

EPA Toxics Release Inventory data for 2023 records 13 reporting facilities within about five miles of 48203, together reporting roughly 2,464,163 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.