CITY WATER REPORT
Is Charleston Tap Water Safe? 2026 Water Quality Report
CHARLESTON serves Charleston · 17,286 residents.
- Utility
- CHARLESTON
- Population served
- 17,286
- Water source
- Surface water
- Disinfectant
- Pending utility report
- Hardness
- Pending utility report
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA): not detected (limit 4.0 ng/L).
About this score The Purity Score summarises the public records PurityMap analysed for Charleston. It is not a laboratory test of the water at your tap.
What the record showsGreen means a contaminant was measured and is within its benchmark: a fact about that measurement, not an overall verdict. Anything not yet monitored stays unknown.
CHARLESTON (EPA PWSID IL0290100) delivers surface water to 17,286 residents. This report reflects 3 federally regulated PFAS result(s) from the 2024 UCMR5 round and the latest Lead & Copper Rule 90th-percentile result. Water hardness and disinfectant type are pending the utility's own annual report.
Your water system
resolution confirmed
- CHARLESTON (serves most of the city)
CHARLESTON is the primary municipal supplier for most Charleston addresses. Confirm your supplier on your utility bill.
CHARLESTON is the public system on record for this city. This identifies which utility serves the city. Confirm yours on your water bill before acting on a specific finding.
What stands out in Charleston
Each row links to a dated measurement in the supplier profile. A missing measurement is never shown as a non-detect.
What this data doesn’t tell you
Public water-system monitoring reflects the system, not the water at an individual household tap at a given moment. Home plumbing, fixtures, storage, sampling location and timing can all change what actually reaches your glass.
The data behind this report
| Contaminant | Result | Benchmark | Sampled | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) | < 4 ng/L | 4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) | 2024 | UCMR5 Analytical Results: CHARLESTON (IL0290100) |
| Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) | < 4 ng/L | 4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) | 2024 | UCMR5 Analytical Results: CHARLESTON (IL0290100) |
| Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) | < 10 ng/L | 10.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) | 2024 | UCMR5 Analytical Results: CHARLESTON (IL0290100) |
| Lead (90th percentile) | 3 µg/L | 15 µg/L federal action level | 2025-2025 | Lead & Copper Rule 90th-percentile: CHARLESTON (IL0290100) |
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)
- Result
- < 4 ng/L
- Benchmark
- 4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024)
- Sampled
- 2024
Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS)
- Result
- < 4 ng/L
- Benchmark
- 4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024)
- Sampled
- 2024
Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS)
- Result
- < 10 ng/L
- Benchmark
- 10.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024)
- Sampled
- 2024
Lead (90th percentile)
- Result
- 3 µg/L
- Benchmark
- 15 µg/L federal action level
- Sampled
- 2025-2025
Every value is the published result from the cited public record. A reporting limit is the lowest level the method could reliably quantify; a non-detect is not a guarantee of zero.
What can you do about it?To reduce exposure to what was reported in Charleston, these treatment technologies are relevant to the contaminants found here.
- Reverse osmosis
- NSF/ANSI 53 lead-certified filters
- Replacing lead service lines
Understand water treatment technologies, then the specific products below are matched to these findings.
Recommended solutions
NSF/ANSI 53 lead-reduction filter (optional)
leadOur pick: Brita Large 10-Cup Elite Water Filter Pitcher, WQA NSF/ANSI Certified, Reduces 99% of Lead, Microplastics, & 30 Contaminants, BPA-Free, Removes Chlorine Taste & Odor, 1 Filter Included, White
Recommended because There is no safe level of lead, and older home plumbing can add it at the tap.
Recommendations are matched to the published findings first; the commercial offer is looked up afterwards and never changes which products qualify. As an Amazon Associate, PurityMap earns from qualifying purchases. Affiliate disclosure.
Frequently asked questions
Who provides tap water in Charleston?
CHARLESTON (PWS ID IL0290100) is the public water system on record for Charleston, Illinois. Confirm the utility on your water bill before acting on a specific finding.
Where does Charleston get its drinking water?
Surface water (primary source of record in EPA SDWIS).
What does the latest Charleston water report show?
Across the tracked parameters, PurityMap's current record for Charleston shows 0 contaminants measured above their benchmark and 4 within benchmark. Each finding links to its dated public record; a parameter that was never monitored is shown as pending, not as a pass.
Is there lead in Charleston's tap water?
In Charleston, lead is detected but within its action level in the published record. Lead can still enter water from household plumbing after it leaves the system, so a system result cannot rule out an individual tap. A certified home test is the only way to know yours.
Are PFAS "forever chemicals" in Charleston's water?
PFAS compounds appear in Charleston's published record; the findings show each one's measured state and how it compares to its benchmark.
Sources
Methodology: how we analyze water. Prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by the PurityMap Editorial Team before publication.
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- Systems published
- 1 of 1
- Latest sample on record
- 2024 (PFAS) / LCR (lead)