Waukesha, WI Water Quality (ZIP 53188)

Quick Answers

Is ZIP 53188 tap water safe to drink? PFAS compounds have been detected in 53188's water at an average of 0.02 ppt across 10 compounds. A certified pitcher filter or reverse osmosis system is recommended, especially for sensitive populations.

What filter should I use in 53188? 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 53188 Water Quality Summary

EPA testing has detected PFAS "forever chemicals" in the water system serving ZIP 53188 (Waukesha, WI). Monitoring found a peak of 0.07 ppt across 1 system, averaging 0.02 ppt over 10 detected compounds.

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

Top Detected Compounds in ZIP 53188

• PFHXS: 0.07 ppt
• 6:2 FTS: 0.04 ppt
• PFHXA: 0.04 ppt
• PFBS: 0.03 ppt
• PFPES: 0.02 ppt

Lead in ZIP 53188 Water

EPA Lead and Copper Rule testing recorded 16 lead samples for the system serving 53188, with a 90th-percentile high of 0.01759 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 53188

The water system serving 53188 have 180 health-based EPA Safe Drinking Water Act violations on record, including Total Organic Carbon, 4000, 4030, Gross Beta. A health-based violation means a contaminant exceeded its federal limit or required treatment was not applied.

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 53188. UCMR5 is the most comprehensive national drinking water survey in US history.

Beyond water: other exposures in Waukesha, WI

Drinking water is one exposure route. These are the other federal datasets that cover ZIP 53188 and Waukesha County, WI.

Radon risk in Waukesha County, WI

The EPA places Waukesha County, WI in Zone 1 - the EPA's highest-risk category, where the predicted average indoor radon level is above 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 Waukesha County, WI

Census figures show 49% of homes in Waukesha County, WI were built before 1980, and 10% 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 Waukesha County, WI

Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) for Waukesha County, WI averages 8.3 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.

Industrial releases near 53188

EPA Toxics Release Inventory data for 2023 records 12 reporting facilities within about five miles of 53188, together reporting roughly 222,112 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.