What's in the Water in Tuscaloosa, AL?
Monitoring data for Tuscaloosa, Alabama shows 3 distinct contaminants detected in the public water supply — Chlorine, Total Trihalomethanes, Haloacetic Acids (HAA5). Of these, 1 exceeded the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level.
Contaminants Detected in Tuscaloosa
| Contaminant | Detected | EPA Limit (MCL) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlorine | 1.152 ntu | 4 ntu | Exceeds limit |
| Total Trihalomethanes | 40 ppb | 80 ppb | Within limit |
| Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) | 30 ppb | 60 ppb | Within limit |
Detected levels are the highest reported across Tuscaloosa systems for each contaminant. MCL = EPA Maximum Contaminant Level, the legal safety ceiling. Source: EPA SDWIS monitoring data.
Safety & Violations
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Average Safety Score | 8/100 (F worst) |
| Public Water Systems | 1 |
| Population Served | 166,524 |
| Health Violations | 6 |
| Monitoring Violations | 2 |
| Contaminant Exceedances | 5 |
| Enforcement Actions | 16 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Monitoring data for Tuscaloosa, Alabama shows 3 distinct contaminants detected in the public water supply — Chlorine, Total Trihalomethanes, Haloacetic Acids (HAA5). Of these, 1 exceeded the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level.
The 1 public water system serving Tuscaloosa, Alabama (population 166,524) average a Water Safety Score of 8/100, with a worst grade of F. These systems have 6 health-based violations and 5 contaminant exceedances on record.
Tuscaloosa, Alabama is served by 1 public water system, together supplying water to roughly 166,524 people. The worst safety grade among them is F.
Yes. 1 contaminant exceeded the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) in Tuscaloosa: Chlorine. An exceedance means a detected level was higher than the legal safety limit at least once during monitoring.
The Water Safety Score (0-100, graded A-F) weighs health-based violations (40%), contaminant exceedances (30%), enforcement history (20%), and monitoring violations (10%), using EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) data from the last 10 years.
Request your utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR), consider an independent test from a state-certified lab, and use an NSF-certified filter targeting any contaminant of concern. For lead specifically, run cold water 30 seconds before drinking.
More about Tuscaloosa
Monitoring data for Tuscaloosa, Alabama shows 3 distinct contaminants detected in the public water supply — Chlorine, Total Trihalomethanes, Haloacetic Acids (HAA5). Of these, 1 exceeded the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level.
This answer pulls from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), the authoritative federal source for U.S. public drinking-water safety. The headline number above is the direct answer; what follows is the additional context most readers need to use the answer for a real decision rather than just a fact lookup.
A practical caveat: the headline answer above reflects the most recent the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) vintage; underlying data is often revised for months after first publication, and the right reference for any specific decision is whichever vintage is current at the time of the decision. The as-of date is stamped on every page.
Source: EPA Ground Water and Drinking Water, 2026.