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Contaminant guide

Arsenic in drinking water

The EPA limit for Arsenic in drinking water is 10 µg/L. Of the 33,988 water suppliers tested, 15,303 had it detected.

10 µg/L
EPA limit (MCL)
45%
of suppliers detected it
(15,303/33,988)

What Arsenic is, and why it's regulated

Arsenic occurs naturally in rock and groundwater; long-term exposure is linked to skin, bladder and lung cancer.

What the EPA limit means

⚖️

10 µg/L

Maximum Contaminant Level — the enforceable ceiling a supplier must stay under.

🎯

0.0 µg/L

Health goal (MCLG) — the level with no known health effect. It is a goal, not a legal limit, and is often zero for carcinogens.

🧪

SYR4

Where these measurements come from. Hover the tag for the EPA programme and years.

Where Arsenic was found

The water suppliers reporting the highest levels, worst first. For lead and copper that is the 90th-percentile result the action level is written against; for Six-Year Review data, the 95th percentile of each system's samples.

SupplierCityStateLevel vs EPA limit
Ridgewood Estates Bigfork - Lake Co MT
580 µg/L 5800%
of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L
Hidden Lake Colony Cut Bank MT
393.4 µg/L 3934%
of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L
Carlsbad Desalination Plant Carlsbad CA
332.624 µg/L 3326%
of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L
Foxglove Apartments Harvard NH
241.8 µg/L 2418%
of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L
Dexter Oaks Co-Op Dexter OR
236.515 µg/L 2365%
of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L
Whispering Pines Inn Hollister CA
181.3 µg/L 1813%
of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L
Topaz Lake Water Co Inc Topaz NV
168 µg/L 1680%
of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L
Grizzly Ranch Csd Portola CA
165.1 µg/L 1651%
of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L
Paxton Water Corporation Paxton IN
133 µg/L 1330%
of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L
Colonial Meadows Water Company Bloomington IL
123.2 µg/L 1232%
of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L
Sierra East Hoa Coleville CA
122.2 µg/L 1222%
of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L
Csa 70 w-4 Pioneertown San Bernardino CA
120 µg/L 1200%
of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L
Calistoga Farm Worker Center Napa CA
120 µg/L 1200%
of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L
Rim Rock Water Company Grover Beach CA
110.5 µg/L 1105%
of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L
15th Avenue CA
107 µg/L 1070%
of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L
Charles Brown Water Company Shoshone CA
104.85 µg/L 1049%
of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L
Keeler Community Service District Bakerfield CA
104 µg/L 1040%
of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L
Bruni Rural Wsc Bruni TX
100.2 µg/L 1002%
of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L
Igiugig Water System Igiugig AK
97.46 µg/L 975%
of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L
Oasis Mobile Home Park Thermal CA
94.15 µg/L 942%
of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L
Qvwd-West & East Combined Water System Tehachapi CA
94.1 µg/L 941%
of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L
Loma Linda Water Corp Fruitland ID
93.5 µg/L 935%
of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L
Hungry Gulch Mwc Lake Isabella CA
90.15 µg/L 902%
of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L
U.S.N., San Nicolas Island Point Mugu CA
86 µg/L 860%
of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L
Sunset Colony Britton SD
85.9 µg/L 859%
of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L

Frequently asked questions about Arsenic

What is Arsenic in drinking water?

Arsenic occurs naturally in rock and groundwater; long-term exposure is linked to skin, bladder and lung cancer.

What is the EPA limit for Arsenic?

The EPA's Maximum Contaminant Level for Arsenic is 10 µg/L, and its health goal (MCLG) is 0.0 µg/L. A result above the limit means the supplier must act; the goal is the level at which no health effects are expected.

How common is Arsenic in US tap water?

Of the 33,988 water suppliers with results on file, 15,303 detected Arsenic — 45% of those tested.