Is Salem, WI Tap Water Safe? Quality & Contaminants

What was found in Salem's water

The level at the city's main supplier, the highest level anywhere in the city, the EPA limit for each, and where every figure comes from.

Contaminant	Level vs EPA limit	Suppliers	Source
Copper	145.75 µg/L 11% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L Main supplier: PRAIRIE APTS 1 & 2 · 150 people · 2017 Highest in the city: 439.2 µg/L — WHISPERING PINES APTS · 30 people · 2019	3/3	SYR4
Fluoride	390 µg/L 9.8% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L Main supplier: PRAIRIE APTS 1 & 2 · 150 people · 2018 Highest in the city: 428 µg/L — PRAIRIE APTS 3 & 4 · 125 people · 2018	3/3	SYR4
Barium	91 µg/L 4.6% of the EPA limit 2000 µg/L Main supplier: PRAIRIE APTS 1 & 2 · 150 people · 2018 Highest in the city: 91.74 µg/L — WHISPERING PINES APTS · 30 people · 2018	3/3	SYR4
Lead	0.3000 µg/L 2% of the EPA limit 15 µg/L Main supplier: PRAIRIE APTS 1 & 2 · 150 people · 2017 Highest in the city: 34.41 µg/L — WHISPERING PINES APTS · 30 people · 2019	3/3	SYR4
Gross Beta Particle Activity	15.3 pCi/L No EPA limit set Highest in the city: PRAIRIE APTS 3 & 4 · 125 people · 2012	1/3	SYR4
TTHM	1.68 µg/L 2.1% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L Main supplier: PRAIRIE APTS 1 & 2 · 150 people · 2016 Highest in the city: 9.465 µg/L — PRAIRIE APTS 3 & 4 · 125 people · 2014	2/3	SYR4
Chloroform	1.3 µg/L No EPA limit set Main supplier: PRAIRIE APTS 1 & 2 · 150 people · 2016 Highest in the city: 6.75 µg/L — PRAIRIE APTS 3 & 4 · 125 people · 2016	2/3	SYR4
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	1.43 µg/L 2.4% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L Main supplier: PRAIRIE APTS 1 & 2 · 150 people · 2016 Highest in the city: 4.025 µg/L — PRAIRIE APTS 3 & 4 · 125 people · 2014	2/3	SYR4
Combined Radium (-226 And -228)	0.8670 pCi/L 17% of the EPA limit 5 pCi/L Main supplier: PRAIRIE APTS 1 & 2 · 150 people · 2015 Highest in the city: 3.9205 pCi/L — WHISPERING PINES APTS · 30 people · 2015	2/3	SYR4
Arsenic	2.8 µg/L 28% of the EPA limit 10 µg/L Main supplier: PRAIRIE APTS 1 & 2 · 150 people · 2018 Highest in the city: 3.2 µg/L — PRAIRIE APTS 3 & 4 · 125 people · 2018	3/3	SYR4
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon And U	2.75233 pCi/L 18% of the EPA limit 15 pCi/L Highest in the city: WHISPERING PINES APTS · 30 people · 2015	1/3	SYR4
Bromodichloromethane	2.64 µg/L No EPA limit set Highest in the city: PRAIRIE APTS 3 & 4 · 125 people · 2016	1/3	SYR4
Dichloroacetic Acid	0.8500 µg/L No EPA limit set Main supplier: PRAIRIE APTS 1 & 2 · 150 people · 2016 Highest in the city: 2.34 µg/L — PRAIRIE APTS 3 & 4 · 125 people · 2014	2/3	SYR4
Trichloroacetic Acid	0.5800 µg/L No EPA limit set Main supplier: PRAIRIE APTS 1 & 2 · 150 people · 2016 Highest in the city: 1.685 µg/L — PRAIRIE APTS 3 & 4 · 125 people · 2014	2/3	SYR4
Combined Uranium	0.0800 µg/L 0.3% of the EPA limit 30 µg/L Highest in the city: WHISPERING PINES APTS · 30 people · 2012	2/3	SYR4
Lead	0.00071 mg/L 4.7% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L Main supplier: PRAIRIE APTS 1 & 2 · 150 people · 2023 Highest in the city: 0.0080 mg/L — PRAIRIE APTS 3 & 4 · 125 people · 2025	3/3	LCR

Each bar shows the measured level as a share of the EPA limit: green is well under, amber is close to it, red is over. For lead and copper the limit applies to exactly the 90th-percentile figure shown, so red there means a real exceedance. For everything else the limit applies to a running annual average while the figure is the 95th percentile of the system's samples — over 100% is worth reading, but is not by itself a violation. Formal violations are listed separately. These are the utilities' own EPA-reported results, not a city-wide average. A detection means the lab measured the substance — it isn't the same as exceeding a legal limit. Hover a source tag to see the EPA program and years behind each figure.

Water suppliers serving Salem

Supplier	Population served
PRAIRIE APTS 1 & 2	150
PRAIRIE APTS 3 & 4	125
WHISPERING PINES APTS	30

Frequently asked questions about Salem tap water

Is Salem tap water safe to drink?

EPA testing detected 16 contaminants in the water serving Salem. A detection isn't the same as a violation — most detected levels are within federal limits. Check the level and source for each contaminant above, and your utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report for the official compliance status.

How many water suppliers serve Salem?

3 public water suppliers report drinking-water monitoring for Salem, Wisconsin to the EPA. Each is listed above with its population served.

What contaminants are in Salem's water?

The contaminants EPA monitoring detected in Salem include Copper, Fluoride, Barium, Lead, Gross Beta Particle Activity. The full list, with the level at the main supplier and the data source, is in the table above.

Where does this data come from?

Every figure is official EPA drinking-water monitoring — the Lead & Copper Rule, the UCMR-5 nationwide testing program, and the EPA Six-Year Review — not our own testing. Each number is labelled with its source and period.