Tap Water Quality Report
Tap water quality in St. Paul, Minnesota
Tap water in St. Paul, Minnesota receives a grade of F (58/100) from TapWaterSafety.org. It's served by 2 public water systems, primarily St. Paul Department of Public Works. The most significant water quality concerns are: Lead detected in source water; Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) significantly above health guideline; Chromium-6 detected; PFAS contamination; Haloacetic acids (HAA9) significantly above health guideline. Data sources: EPA SDWIS, EPA ECHO, EWG Tap Water Database, and St. Paul's published Consumer Confidence Report.
What's in St. Paul's tap water
Top water quality concerns identified by the EPA and Environmental Working Group across the utilities serving St. Paul.
Lead detected in source water
Severe concernLead detected at 3.3 ppb. EWG considers no level of lead safe; EPA's action level is 15 ppb.
Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernHaloacetic Acids (HAA5) detected at 24.6 ppb, 246x above the EWG health guideline of 0.1 ppb.
Chromium-6 detected
Moderate concernChromium-6 detected at 0.43 ppb.
PFAS contamination
Severe concernPerfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) detected. PFAS are persistent chemicals linked to cancer and immune effects with no known safe exposure threshold.
Haloacetic acids (HAA9) significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernHaloacetic acids (HAA9) detected at 27.4 ppb, 456x above the EWG health guideline of 0.06 ppb.
Water systems serving St. Paul
St. Paul is served by 2 public water systems. Click any utility to see its complete grade card and treatment plant contact info.
St. Paul Department of Public Works
- Lead detected in source water
- Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) significantly above health guideline
- Chromium-6 detected
Saint Paul Regional Water Services
- PFAS contamination
- Haloacetic acids (HAA9) significantly above health guideline
- Perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHXS) significantly above health guideline
Recommended filters for St. Paul
Filters matched to the specific contaminants in St. Paul's water supply.
NSF/ANSI 53 certified for lead removal
$80-$750NSF 53 is the gold standard certification for lead removal. Required when lead is a documented concern.
Carbon block (NSF/ANSI 42 + 53)
$40-$750Activated carbon is highly effective for disinfection byproducts like TTHM and HAA5.
Reverse Osmosis
$249-$750Chromium-6 requires reverse osmosis for reliable removal. Standard carbon filters do not address it.
Disclosure: TapWaterSafety earns a commission from purchases made through these links. This does not influence our scoring methodology or filter selection.
All contaminants detected in St. Paul's tap water
Every contaminant identified, compared side-by-side against US EPA legal limits, the EU Drinking Water Directive (2020/2184), WHO Guidelines, and California's Public Health Goal. Why we show multiple standards →
| Contaminant | Detected | EWG US health-based |
EPA US legal |
EU DWD Europe |
WHO global |
CA PHG strictest US |
Tested sample year |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haloacetic acids (HAA9) Disinfection byproduct |
27.4 ppb | 0.06 | — | — | — | — | — | 456× over |
| Perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHXS) PFAS |
0.373 ppt | 0.001 | 10.0 | — | — | — | — | 373× over |
| Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) Disinfection byproduct |
24.6 ppb | 0.1 | 60 | 60 | — | — | 2022 | 246× over |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) Disinfection byproduct |
32.2 ppb | 0.15 | 80.0 | 100 | — | — | — | 214× over |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5) Disinfection byproduct |
20.7 ppb | 0.1 | 60.0 | 60 | — | — | — | 207× over |
| Bromodichloromethane Disinfection byproduct |
6.71 ppb | 0.06 | — | — | — | — | — | 112× over |
| Dichloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
13.8 ppb | 0.2 | — | — | — | — | — | 69× over |
| Trichloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
6.95 ppb | 0.1 | — | — | — | — | — | 69× over |
| Chloroform Disinfection byproduct |
24.9 ppb | 0.4 | — | — | — | — | — | 62× over |
| Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs) Disinfection byproduct |
32.9 ppb | 0.6 | 80 | 100 | — | — | 2022 | 55× over |
| Chromium-6 (Hexavalent) Heavy metal |
0.528 ppb | 0.02 | — | — | — | 0.02 | 2023 | 26× over |
| Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) PFAS |
0.062 ppt | 0.006 | 10.0 | — | — | — | — | 10× over |
| Chromium (hexavalent) Heavy metal |
0.168 ppb | 0.02 | — | — | — | — | — | 8.4× over |
| Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) PFAS |
0.617 ppt | 0.09 | 4.0 | 100 | 100 | 0.007 | — | 6.9× over |
| Dibromochloromethane Disinfection byproduct |
0.508 ppb | 0.1 | — | — | — | — | — | 5.1× over |
| Nitrate Inorganic |
0.333 ppm | 0.14 | 10.0 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 10 | — | 2.4× over |
| Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) PFAS |
0.323 ppt | 0.3 | 4.0 | 100 | 100 | 1 | — | 1.1× over |
| Chlorate Disinfection byproduct |
6.95 ppb | 210.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Vanadium Other |
0.495 ppb | 21.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Molybdenum Other |
0.525 ppb | 40.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Perfluorobutanoic Acid (PFBA) PFAS |
12.7 ppt | 1000.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Perfluoropentanoic Acid (PFPeA) PFAS |
1.79 ppt | 1000.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Perfluorohexanoic Acid (PFHxA) PFAS |
0.783 ppt | 1000.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Monochloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
0.0347 ppb | 53.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHPA) PFAS |
0.512 ppt | 1000.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) PFAS |
0.717 ppt | 2000.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Strontium Radiological |
0.0628 ppb | 1500.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Fluoride Inorganic |
0.678 ppm | — | 4.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | — | — | Below guideline |
| Lead Heavy metal |
3.95 ppb | 0 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 0.2 | 2023 | — |
| Contaminant | Detected (2023) | EWG | EPA | EU DWD | WHO | CA PHG | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chromium-6 (Hexavalent) Heavy metal |
0.528 ppb | 0.02 | — | — | — | 0.02 | 26× over |
| Lead Heavy metal |
3.95 ppb | 0 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 0.2 | — |
| Contaminant | Detected (2022) | EWG | EPA | EU DWD | WHO | CA PHG | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) Disinfection byproduct |
24.6 ppb | 0.1 | 60 | 60 | — | — | 246× over |
| Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs) Disinfection byproduct |
32.9 ppb | 0.6 | 80 | 100 | — | — | 55× over |
All values in the unit of the detected level. Red cells indicate the detected level exceeds that standard. Some contaminants have limits in some jurisdictions but not others (shown as —). The "Tested" column shows the year each contaminant sample was collected.
Sources: US EPA, EU Drinking Water Directive 2020/2184, WHO Guidelines, California OEHHA PHGs, EWG Tap Water Database.
Treatment plant contact info
For service issues, water quality concerns, or to request a Consumer Confidence Report from St. Paul Department of Public Works.
General Contact
Water Quality Contact
For questions about contaminants or test results.
Treatment Plant
ZIP codes served
St. Paul's public water systems serve the following ZIP codes: