Douglas County tap water: hardness, PFAS and lead

Douglas County, Nebraska has about 601,158 residents (Census 2024 estimate) and 13 community water systems in EPA records. The largest local system is Metropolitan Utilities District, serving about 660,000 people from surface water.

✓ 0 of 6 largest systems with health-based violationsPFAS detected at 0 of 1 sampled systemsHardness 9.0 gpg (high 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 Douglas County water?

Metropolitan Utilities District Measured (utility report, 2025) · High confidence

9.0 gpg (154 mg/L), hard · range 137–222 mg/L

Source: Metropolitan Utilities District water quality report, 2025

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 9 gpg

For a 3-person home using 57 gallons per person per day and regenerating weekly, you'd remove about 10,773 grains between regenerations. Suggested size: 24,000 grain.

Estimate only. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.

Open the softener calculator with 9 gpg

Largest water systems in Douglas County

The 6 biggest of 13 community water systems on EPA records for this county. Service areas don't follow county lines; your water bill names your provider.

Metropolitan Utilities District

NE3105507 · serves about 660,000 people · Surface water

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action level✓ No PFAS detected

Lead 90th percentile: 12.3 ppb (period starting 2023-01-01) Older result. Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

EPA ECHO record

Valley, City of

NE3105518 · serves about 3,294 people · Groundwater

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action levelPFAS: not sampled

Lead 90th percentile: 2 ppb (period starting 2023-01-01) Older result. Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

EPA ECHO record

Waterloo, Village of

NE3105517 · serves about 962 people · Surface water

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action levelPFAS: not sampled

Lead 90th percentile: 11.7 ppb (period starting 2019-01-01) Older result. Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

EPA ECHO record

Maplewood Estates Mobile Home Park

NE3120928 · serves about 805 people · Surface water

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below detectionPFAS: not sampled

Lead 90th percentile: <DL (below the lab detection/reporting limit; reported as 0) (period starting 2023-01-01) Older result. Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

EPA ECHO record

Meadowbrook Estates Water System

NE3121363 · serves about 675 people · Surface water

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below detectionPFAS: not sampled

Lead 90th percentile: <DL (below the lab detection/reporting limit; reported as 0) (period starting 2023-01-01) Older result. Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

EPA ECHO record

Douglas Co Sid 277 - the Farm

NE3130005 · serves about 450 people · Groundwater

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action levelPFAS: not sampled

Lead 90th percentile: 12.2 ppb (period starting 2021-01-01) Older result. Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

EPA ECHO record

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 Douglas County water

Is tap water in Douglas County safe to drink?

None of the 6 largest systems here have a health-based violation in EPA records since October 2021. Metropolitan Utilities District's most recent lead 90th percentile was 12.3 ppb (2023), 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 Douglas County?

Metropolitan Utilities District reports about 9.0 grains per gallon (154 mg/L), which is hard. For a 3-person home at 9 gpg, our softener calculator suggests a 24,000 grain unit as a starting point.

Is there PFAS in Douglas County water?

None of the 1 sampled system listed here detected PFAS above EPA's reporting levels in UCMR 5 testing.

Which water system serves my address in Douglas County?

Most homes are served by Metropolitan Utilities District 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.

Sources for this page

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.