What a Consumer Confidence Report is and how to find yours

Federal law requires every community water system serving more than 25 people to deliver an annual Consumer Confidence Report to its customers. The requirement comes from a 1996 amendment to the Safe Drinking Water Act. The report is typically mailed or emailed by July 1 each year and covers the prior calendar year of testing.

If you can't find your report, the EPA maintains a CCR lookup at epa.gov/ccr. Most utilities also post current and historical reports on their websites. You can search by your utility's name or your zip code.

If your water comes from a private well, you will not receive a CCR. Well owners are responsible for their own testing.

The numbers and what they mean

Your CCR is full of abbreviations and numbers. Here's what they mean.

MCL stands for Maximum Contaminant Level. This is the legally enforceable upper limit a contaminant can reach in your tap water. If a contaminant exceeds the MCL, your utility is in violation and must notify customers.

MCLG stands for Maximum Contaminant Level Goal. This is a non-enforceable health-based target. For some contaminants like PFOA and PFOS, the MCLG is zero. That means no level is considered safe, even if the MCL allows a small amount.

Detected level or Highest Level Detected is the highest concentration measured in your water during the year. Your CCR may also show a range, which is the spread of measurements across all samples.

The units matter. Here's how to read them:

  • ppm (parts per million) is the same as mg/L (milligrams per liter)
  • ppb (parts per billion) is the same as ug/L (micrograms per liter)
  • ppt (parts per trillion) is the same as ng/L (nanograms per liter)

One part per trillion is one drop in 20 Olympic swimming pools. PFAS limits are measured in ppt because the chemicals are biologically active at extremely low levels. The federal MCLs set by the EPA in April 2024 are 4 ppt for PFOA, 4 ppt for PFOS, 10 ppt for PFHxS, 10 ppt for PFNA, and 10 ppt for HFPO-DA, which is also called GenX.

What your CCR tests for, and what it doesn't

Standard CCRs report on contaminants the EPA already regulates. That list includes lead, copper, disinfection byproducts, nitrates, microbes, radionuclides, and a few dozen others.

Most current CCRs do not yet include PFAS. The April 2024 federal MCLs require monitoring to begin in 2027 and treatment compliance by 2029. That means a 2025 CCR can show "no violations" while still containing PFAS at levels above the new limits.

Other contaminants that often go untested in standard CCRs include pharmaceuticals, microplastics, hexavalent chromium, which is also called chromium-6, and many of the 12,000-plus PFAS compounds that exist.

Your CCR tells you what your utility tested for and what it found. It does not tell you about contaminants that were not tested.

How UCMR 5 is different

UCMR 5 stands for Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, 5th cycle. It is a separate EPA testing program designed to gather data on contaminants that are not yet regulated. The EPA uses the data to decide whether to regulate them in the future.

UCMR 5 specifically tested for 29 PFAS compounds and lithium between 2023 and 2026. The results are public. They are the data that powers tools like CheckYourWater.

UCMR 5 samples are collected at the entry point to the distribution system, before any household-level filtration. That means the results reflect what enters the system, not necessarily what comes out of your tap if you have a home filter.

UCMR 5 is not a violation report. It is a snapshot. If your system shows PFAS in UCMR 5 data, it does not mean your utility broke the law. It means PFAS was detected during the testing window. The new federal limits do not take effect until 2029.

When "below detection limit" doesn't mean zero

Every test method has a Minimum Reporting Level, or MRL. This is the lowest concentration the method can reliably measure.

If your CCR or UCMR 5 result says "ND" or "<MRL", it means the contaminant was either truly absent or present at a level lower than the lab could detect.

For PFAS, the EPA's UCMR 5 MRLs range from about 1.8 ppt to 4.0 ppt depending on the compound. That means if your water contains 2 ppt of PFOA, it might show up as "ND" because the lab's detection limit was 3 ppt.

"ND" is good news, but it is not the same as zero. It means the contaminant was not detected at the sensitivity level of the test.

When to consider independent testing

If your CCR or UCMR 5 data shows detected PFAS, you do not need additional testing. You need a filter. NSF-certified filters for PFOA and PFOS are widely available. Look for NSF/ANSI Standard 53 or Standard 58 certification.

If you are on a private well, especially within a few miles of a known PFAS source like a military base, airport, paper mill, or chrome plating facility, get tested. Certified PFAS panels from accredited labs run $200 to $400. The state environmental agency can sometimes test for free, especially in known contamination zones. It is worth checking.

If your utility's CCR shows a contaminant near the MCL, or if you notice a change in taste, odor, or color, you can request independent testing. Make sure the lab is certified for the contaminants you are concerned about.

What to do with the information

Read your CCR every year. It takes 10 minutes. If a contaminant exceeds an MCL, your utility is legally required to notify customers. Read those notices.

Look up your system on CheckYourWater for the UCMR 5 PFAS data your CCR does not include. The tool translates EPA data into plain language and shows you how your water compares to the new federal limits.

If you are concerned, attend a city council or water board meeting. Public comment is usually open at the start of meetings. You can also search for your utility's consumer confidence report online to find historical data and see if contamination levels are rising or falling.

If your water exceeds a federal limit, ask your utility what treatment options are being considered and what the timeline is. The 2029 compliance deadline is firm, but many utilities are acting sooner.

If you are on a private well and testing shows contamination, a point-of-use filter is usually the fastest solution. Whole-house systems are available but expensive. Bottled water is a short-term option but not sustainable long-term.

Your water quality report is not just a piece of paper. It is a snapshot of what is in your water and a tool for holding your utility accountable. Use it.