Oakdale, MN Water Quality (ZIP 55128)

Quick Answers

Is ZIP 55128 tap water safe to drink? Water for ZIP 55128 shows high PFAS contamination. EPA testing found a peak of 439 ppt, above the EPA's 4 ppt enforceable limit. A reverse osmosis or certified PFAS filter is strongly recommended.

What filter should I use in 55128? 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 55128 Water Quality Summary

EPA testing has detected PFAS "forever chemicals" in the water system serving ZIP 55128 (Oakdale, MN). Monitoring found a peak of 439 ppt across 1 system, averaging 55.19 ppt over 5 detected compounds.

Contamination Level: HIGH – High contamination – multiple PFAS compounds detected at levels significantly above EPA safety thresholds.

Top Detected Compounds in ZIP 55128

• PFOS: 439 ppt (exceeds the EPA 4 ppt limit)
• PFOA: 338 ppt (exceeds the EPA 4 ppt limit)
• PFHPA: 52.8 ppt (exceeds the EPA 10 ppt limit)
• PFHXS: 52.3 ppt (exceeds the EPA 10 ppt limit)
• PFBA: 0.11 ppt

Lead in ZIP 55128 Water

EPA Lead and Copper Rule testing recorded 9 lead samples for the system serving 55128, with a 90th-percentile high of 0.004 mg/L (within 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 55128. UCMR5 is the most comprehensive national drinking water survey in US history.

Beyond water: other exposures in Oakdale, MN

Drinking water is one exposure route. These are the other federal datasets that cover ZIP 55128 and Washington County, MN.

Radon risk in Washington County, MN

The EPA places Washington County, MN 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 Washington County, MN

Census figures show 33% of homes in Washington County, MN were built before 1980, and 8% 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 Washington County, MN

Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) for Washington County, MN averages 6.4 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 55128

There is 1 EPA Superfund (National Priorities List) site within about five miles of 55128: Oakdale Dump (about 0.9 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 55128

EPA Toxics Release Inventory data for 2023 records 1 reporting facility within about five miles of 55128, together reporting roughly 12,068 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.