Is Southwest Alabama Water Authority Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

Water source: Ground water
Ownership: Local government
Counties served: Monroe

Compliance record

Formal violations the EPA has on file for this supplier. A health-based violation means a contaminant limit or a required treatment was breached; the rest are monitoring or reporting failures — still violations, but not a measured health risk.

health-based violations

violations on file

still open

Violation	Type	Status	Period
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2025-10-01 → 2025-12-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2025-10-01 → 2025-12-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2008-08-01 → 2008-08-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2008-08-01 → 2008-08-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2008-08-01 → 2008-08-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2008-08-01 → 2008-08-31
MR	Monitoring	Archived	2025-01-01 → 2025-12-31
MR	Monitoring	Archived	2025-01-01 → 2025-12-31
MR	Monitoring	Archived	2025-01-01 → 2025-12-31
MR	Monitoring	Archived	2025-01-01 → 2025-12-31

Other contaminants detected

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 this system's samples — over 100% is worth reading, but is not by itself a violation. Where a single sample came in higher than that percentile, it is noted under the bar. Formal violations are listed separately.

Contaminant	Level vs EPA limit	Detection rate	Source	Period
Nitrate	32 µg/L 0.3% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L	28/58	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	0.0 mg/L 0% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	19/19	LCR	2023
TTHM	17.78 µg/L 22% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L worst single sample: 21.3 µg/L	17/17	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	5.546 µg/L 9.2% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 6.33 µg/L	17/17	SYR4	2012–2019
Nitrate-Nitrite	32 µg/L 0.3% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L	14/29	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	2.96 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 2.99 µg/L	13/25	SYR4	2012–2019
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon And U	6.546 pCi/L 44% of the EPA limit 15 pCi/L worst single sample: 7.44 pCi/L	13/14	SYR4	2013–2019
Fluoride	564 µg/L 14% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 570 µg/L	11/11	SYR4	2013–2019
Bromodichloromethane	3.3715 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 3.7 µg/L	10/25	SYR4	2012–2019
Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate	0.1430 µg/L 2.4% of the EPA limit 6 µg/L worst single sample: 0.1700 µg/L	10/24	SYR4	2014–2019
Dibromochloromethane	8.609 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 9.5 µg/L	10/25	SYR4	2012–2019
Barium	48.3 µg/L 2.4% of the EPA limit 2000 µg/L worst single sample: 51 µg/L	7/11	SYR4	2013–2019
Bromoform	16.85 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 18.6 µg/L	6/25	SYR4	2012–2019
Lithium	18 µg/L No EPA limit set	6/8	UCMR-5	2024
Copper	2549.62 µg/L 196% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 3185 µg/L	5/11	SYR4	2013–2019
Lead	25.274 µg/L 168% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 15 µg/L worst single sample: 31 µg/L	5/11	SYR4	2013–2019
Chromium	1.12025 µg/L 1.1% of the EPA limit 100 µg/L worst single sample: 1.16 µg/L	4/11	SYR4	2013–2019
Mercury	0.1304 µg/L 6.5% of the EPA limit 2 µg/L worst single sample: 0.1310 µg/L	4/11	SYR4	2013–2019
Carbon Tetrachloride	0.5348 µg/L 11% of the EPA limit 5 µg/L worst single sample: 0.5420 µg/L	2/25	SYR4	2012–2019
Combined Radium (-226 And -228)	0.4900 pCi/L 9.8% of the EPA limit 5 pCi/L	1/1	SYR4	2016
Dichloromethane	0.8270 µg/L 17% of the EPA limit 5 µg/L	1/25	SYR4	2012–2019
Gross Beta Particle Activity	0.8720 pCi/L No EPA limit set	1/1	SYR4	2016
Selenium	1.004 µg/L 2% of the EPA limit 50 µg/L	1/11	SYR4	2013–2019

83 contaminants tested, none detected

1,1,1-Trichloroethane1,1,2-Trichloroethane1,1-Dichloroethylene1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE1,2-Dichloroethane1,2-Dichloropropane11Cl-PF3OUdS2,4,5-TP2,4-D4:2 Fts6:2 Fts8:2 Fts9Cl-PF3ONSAdonaAntimony, TotalArsenicAtrazineBhc-GammaBenzeneBenzo(A)PyreneBeryllium, TotalChlorobenzeneCyanideCadmiumCarbofuranChlordaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDinosebDiquatEthylene DibromideEndothallEndrinEthylbenzeneGlyphosateHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoMethoxychlorNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitriteOxamylPfbaPFBSPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpaPfhpsPfhxaPFHXSPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPFOAPFOSPfpeaPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneThallium, TotalTolueneTotal Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)ToxapheneTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: RAMER, ALLEN GENE
Phone: 251-564-2727
Email: [email protected]

Frequently asked questions about Southwest Alabama Water Authority

Is Southwest Alabama Water Authority tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 23 contaminants in Southwest Alabama Water Authority's water. A detection isn't the same as a violation — most levels are within federal limits. See each level and source above, and the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report for its official compliance status.

What contaminants were detected in Southwest Alabama Water Authority's water?

EPA monitoring detected Nitrate, Lead, TTHM, Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5), Nitrate-Nitrite, and others. The full list with the level and data source for each is above.

How many people does Southwest Alabama Water Authority serve?

Southwest Alabama Water Authority reports serving 5,196 people in Alabama, per its EPA record.

Has Southwest Alabama Water Authority had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 98 violations on file for Southwest Alabama Water Authority, of which 6 are health-based (a contaminant limit or required treatment was breached) and 0 remain open. The rest are monitoring or reporting failures.

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.