Water Health Check Report

Portland, OR

Portland Water Bureau · Surface water source

92

Excellent

0 EPA violations
1 above EWG guideline

Score methodology →
EPA · OR4100657UCMR5 PFAS data included666,200 people servedLast updated Dec 2025
EPA SDWIS · December 2025EPA UCMR5 · November 2024

Excellent — with 1 concern

Portland Water Bureau meets all federal legal limits but 1 contaminant exceeds EWG health guidelines. No PFAS detected in UCMR5 sampling

No PFAS detected in UCMR5 samplingAll contaminants within federal legal limits

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Lead—source matters

Lead in tap water comes from household plumbing, not the source water or treatment plant. Portland water leaves the treatment plant lead-free. Risk depends on your building's internal plumbing—highest in homes built before 1986, when lead solder was common. A NSF/ANSI 53 certified pitcher or under-sink filter removes lead at point of use.

PFAS—25 compounds tested, none detected

EPA UCMR5 monitoring found no PFAS above the minimum reporting level in Portland's water supply. This is a meaningful result: PFAS have been detected in roughly half of all tested US public water systems.

Source: EPA UCMR5 (2023–2025) · 25 compounds tested including all regulated PFAS

Contaminants tested

31 total · 1 above EWG guideline
ContaminantLevelStatus
Lead

CAS 7439-92-1

4.9 ppb
Above guideline
Chlorine (residual)

CAS 7782-50-5

< 0.01 ppm
Within limits
< 0.01 NTU
Within limits
Copper

CAS 7440-50-8

< 0.01 ppm
Within limits
ND ppb
Within limits
ND
Not detected
ND
Not detected
ND
Not detected
ND
Not detected
ND
Not detected
ND
Not detected
ND
Not detected
ND
Not detected
ND
Not detected
Lithium

CAS 7439-93-2

ND
Not detected
ND
Not detected
ND
Not detected
ND
Not detected
ND
Not detected
ND
Not detected
ND
Not detected
ND
Not detected
ND
Not detected
ND
Not detected
ND
Not detected
ND
Not detected
ND
Not detected
ND
Not detected
ND
Not detected
ND
Not detected
ND
Not detected
LegendWithin limitsAbove EWG guidelineAbove EPA limitNot detectedSource: EPA SDWIS · UCMR5 · EWG Health Guidelines

Filter recommendation

1 contaminant above guidelines. Here's what removes it.

A guided 4-question flow matches you to the right filter for your setup, budget, and household.

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Water wellness · Drawn Health

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  • Your contaminant profile explained in plain English
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Data sources

EPA UCMR5 (PFAS + lithium)·November 2024·One-time programme 2023–2025
EPA SDWIS compliance data·December 2025·Annual reporting cycle

Status flags compare detected levels against both EPA legal limits and EWG health-based guidelines—which are stricter and science-derived, independent of political feasibility.