Is there PFAS in Colbert County Rural Water System water?
Yes. EPA's final UCMR 5 results show Colbert County Rural Water System averaged 18.2 ppt of PFOS at its worst sampling point, 4.5 times the EPA limit of 4 ppt.
Colbert County Rural Water System
Serves 13,395 people · 26 PFOA samples from 7 sampling points · Jul 2023 to May 2024
Average above an EPA limit
PFOA Perfluorooctanoic acid
11.4 ppt avg · max 19.8
PFOS Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid
18.2 ppt avg · max 29.5
PFHxS Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid
1.6 ppt avg · max 3.8
Hazard index GenX, PFBS, PFNA, PFHxS combined
0.2 avg · max 0.4
Also detected, no federal limit: PFBA, PFHxA, PFBS, PFPeA, PFHpA.
Colbert County Rural Water System is a public water system drawing on surface water, based in Tuscumbia, Alabama, serving about 13,395 people, including Cherokee, Leighton, Russellville, Muscle Shoals, Town Creek, Tuscumbia. Under EPA's Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule it was tested for 29 PFAS and lithium 26 times across 7 sampling points between Jul 2023 and May 2024.
Every PFAS detected
Not detected: NEtFOSAA, 4:2 FTS, 8:2 FTS, PFMPA, PFMBA, PFEESA, NFDHA, PFPeS, PFTA, NMeFOSAA, PFTrDA, 6:2 FTS, ADONA, PFHpS, PFDA, HFPO-DA, PFUnA, 11Cl-PF3OUdS, 9Cl-PF3ONS, PFDoA, PFNA.
Lithium, tested in the same program: not detected.
What the EPA limits mean here
In April 2024 EPA set enforceable limits of 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt each for PFHxS, PFNA and GenX, and a hazard index of 1 for mixtures. Utilities were given until 2029 to comply. In May 2026 EPA proposed keeping only the PFOA and PFOS limits and moving that deadline to 2031. Until that proposal is final, the 2024 limits stand.
Compliance is judged on a running annual average at each entry point, so we show the average at this system's worst sampling point next to its single highest result. UCMR 5 results do not by themselves put a utility in or out of compliance.
What you can do at home
Two routes work for PFAS. For drinking and cooking water only, a reverse osmosis system certified to NSF/ANSI 58 with a PFOA/PFOS reduction claim is the cheapest proven option. To treat every tap and shower, a whole-house carbon system with enough contact time works, but check that the maker has PFAS test data, not just a marketing claim. See the best filters for PFAS and how PFAS removal works.
Other systems in Alabama
All 307 tested systems in Alabama
ZIP codes served
35616 35646 35653 35661 35672 35674
As reported by the utility to EPA. Neighbouring ZIPs are often split between systems; your water bill names yours.
Cite this page
Well & Tap. "PFAS in Colbert County Rural Water System water: EPA UCMR 5 results." Data: U.S. EPA Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, final release August 2026, PWSID AL0000314. https://wellandtap.com/pfas/alabama/colbert-county-rural-water-system/
About this data
Source: U.S. EPA, UCMR 5 occurrence data, final release August 2026 (PWSID AL0000314). Population: EPA SDWIS. Averages count results below the reporting level as zero, the same convention EPA uses for running annual averages. Full method.
