Washtenaw County tap water: hardness, PFAS and lead
Washtenaw County, Michigan has about 373,875 residents (Census 2024 estimate) and 32 community water systems in EPA records. The largest local system is Ann Arbor, serving about 123,851 people from surface water.
✓ 0 of 6 largest systems with health-based violationsPFAS detected at 2 of 6 sampled systemsHardness 16.4 gpg (low confidence)
Public-record figures, not a test of your tap. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.
How hard is Washtenaw County water?
Ann ArborEstimate: untreated local water, not your tap · Low confidenceOlder data
16.4 gpg(280 mg/L), very hard
Washtenaw County: median of 693 results from 271 monitoring sites (streams and wells). Utilities may blend or treat water, so your tap can differ. This county's data is older or less complete; treat it with extra caution.
County estimates: Hard Water Map (hardwatermap.com), CC BY 4.0, derived from the USGS/EPA Water Quality Portal; file generated 2026-07-22. License
Public-record figures, not a test of your tap. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.
Softener size at 16.4 gpg
For a 3-person home using 57 gallons per person per day and regenerating weekly, you'd remove about 19,631 grains between regenerations. Suggested size: 24,000 grain. This uses a low-confidence county estimate, so confirm with a test first.
Estimate only. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.
The 6 biggest of 32 community water systems on EPA records for this county. Service areas don't follow county lines; your water bill names your provider.
Ann Arbor
MI0000220 · serves about 123,851 people · Surface water
✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action levelPFAS detected (3 types)
Lead 90th percentile: 2.3 ppb (period starting 2021-01-01) Older result. Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).
PFBA: highest sample 6.1 ppt (1 of 4 samples); no federal limit
PFPeA: highest sample 4.7 ppt (3 of 4 samples); no federal limit
PFHxA: highest sample 3.5 ppt (1 of 4 samples); no federal limit
MI0005360 · serves about 24,500 people · Surface water
✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below detection✓ No PFAS detected
Lead 90th percentile: <DL (below the lab detection/reporting limit; reported as 0) (period starting 2025-01-01). Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).
MI0005900 · serves about 9,158 people · Groundwater
✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below detection✓ No PFAS detected
Lead 90th percentile: <DL (below the lab detection/reporting limit; reported as 0) (period starting 2025-01-01). Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).
MI0005977 · serves about 8,500 people · Surface water
✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below detectionPFAS detected (3 types)
Lead 90th percentile: <DL (below the lab detection/reporting limit; reported as 0) (period starting 2024-01-01). Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).
PFPeA: highest sample 4.9 ppt (2 of 4 samples); no federal limit
PFHpA: highest sample 4.2 ppt (1 of 4 samples); no federal limit
PFHxA: highest sample 3.6 ppt (1 of 4 samples); no federal limit
Public-record figures, not a test of your tap. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.
A PFAS detection is not a violation. Federal limits (4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS) apply to running annual averages, with compliance required by 2029. In May 2026 EPA proposed extending the PFOA/PFOS deadline to 2031 and removing other PFAS limits; not final as of 2026-10-21.
Test your own tap
These are public records for whole systems. Your home's pipes, fixtures and any private well can change what you drink. A certified lab test or a hardness test strip gives you your own numbers. Then use our PFAS and lead filter selector to see which certifications to look for.
Common questions about Washtenaw County water
Is tap water in Washtenaw County safe to drink?
None of the 6 largest systems here have a health-based violation in EPA records since October 2021. Ann Arbor's most recent lead 90th percentile was 2.3 ppb (2021), below the 15 ppb action level. Public records can't guarantee what comes out of your tap, especially with older plumbing, so a home test is the surest check.
How hard is the water in Washtenaw County?
There's no published utility figure in our data, but untreated local stream and well samples in Washtenaw County have a median of about 16.4 grains per gallon (280 mg/L, very hard). That's a low-confidence estimate of source water, not your tap, so test before you buy equipment. For a 3-person home at 16.4 gpg, our softener calculator suggests a 24,000 grain unit as a starting point.
Is there PFAS in Washtenaw County water?
2 of the 6 sampled systems listed here detected at least one PFAS in EPA's UCMR 5 testing. A detection isn't a violation: federal PFAS limits apply to running annual averages starting in 2029.
Which water system serves my address in Washtenaw County?
Most homes are served by Ann Arbor or one of the other systems listed on this page, but service areas don't follow county lines. Your water bill names your provider, and its annual Consumer Confidence Report has the full test results.
Data as of October 21, 2026. Figures are copied from public records and combined with our own calculations; they can be out of date or wrong. Tapped Out isn't affiliated with any utility or the EPA. Written and reviewed by the Tapped Out team. How we calculate · All sources.