PFAS Testing Results
Rhode Island
PFAS testing results for 29 water systems serving 1,047,226 residents.
10 systems exceed federal PFAS limits, affecting 265,796 residents.
Systems tested
29
51.7% had PFAS detections
Limits exceeded
10
34.5% of systems
Population affected
266K
served by systems over federal limits
Most common compound
11Cl-PF3OUdS
detected in 15 systems
Grade distribution
Every water system gets a letter grade based on how its worst detected PFAS compound compares to the federal Maximum Contaminant Level. Lower grades mean higher contamination.
Communities exceeding federal limits
The water systems in Rhode Island where at least one PFAS compound exceeds the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level, sorted worst first.
| System name | City | Grade | Worst compound | Times over limit | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND | KINGSTON | D | PFOA | 4.0x | 19K |
| QUONSET BUSINESS PARK | NORTH KINGSTOWN | D | PFOA | 2.5x | 13K |
| KENT COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY | WEST GREENWICH | D | PFOA | 1.6x | 89K |
| WESTERLY WATER DEPARTMENT | WESTERLY | D | PFOA | 1.5x | 35K |
| SOUTH KINGSTOWN-SOUTH SHORE | WAKEFIELD | D | PFOA | 1.5x | 6.2K |
| NORTH KINGSTOWN TOWN OF | NORTH KINGSTOWN | D | PFOA | 1.5x | 28K |
| WOONSOCKET WATER DIVISION | WOONSOCKET | D | PFOA | 1.4x | 46K |
| CUMBERLAND, TOWN OF | CUMBERLAND | D | PFOA | 1.4x | 21K |
| KINGSTON WATER DISTRICT | WEST KINGSTON | D | PFOA | 1.3x | 4.0K |
| NARRAGANSETT WATER DEPT-NORTH END | NARRAGANSETT | D | PFOA | 1.1x | 4.4K |
Resources for taking action are available in our community toolkit.
What Rhode Island is doing about PFAS
Rhode Island adopted an enforceable state drinking water standard for PFAS in 2022. The Rhode Island Department of Health set an MCL of 20 parts per trillion for the combined total of six PFAS compounds, including PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, PFHpA, PFNA, and PFDA. This combined approach is similar to the Massachusetts PFAS6 standard and is stricter than the federal EPA individual MCLs for the lower-level compounds but less strict for PFOA and PFOS individually.
The Rhode Island legislature also passed product-level laws banning PFAS in food packaging and Class B firefighting foam. State records show RIDOH has required all community water systems to sample under the state standard, and results are publicly posted. Public water systems in Rhode Island are subject to both the state combined MCL and the federal compliance timeline requiring initial monitoring by 2027 and treatment installation by 2029.
Based on Rhode Island Department of Health publications and Rhode Island legislative records.
All 29 tested water systems in Rhode Island
Sorted from lowest grade to highest. Click any system name for the full report. Filter by city or name with the search box below.
Showing 29 of 29 systems
| Grade | System name | City | Worst compound | vs. EPA limit | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
D | UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND | KINGSTON | PFOA | 4.0× the federal limit | 19K |
D | QUONSET BUSINESS PARK | NORTH KINGSTOWN | PFOA | 2.5× the federal limit | 13K |
D | KENT COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY | WEST GREENWICH | PFOA | 1.6× the federal limit | 89K |
D | WESTERLY WATER DEPARTMENT | WESTERLY | PFOA | 1.5× the federal limit | 35K |
D | SOUTH KINGSTOWN-SOUTH SHORE | WAKEFIELD | PFOA | 1.5× the federal limit | 6.2K |
D | NORTH KINGSTOWN TOWN OF | NORTH KINGSTOWN | PFOA | 1.5× the federal limit | 28K |
D | WOONSOCKET WATER DIVISION | WOONSOCKET | PFOA | 1.4× the federal limit | 46K |
D | CUMBERLAND, TOWN OF | CUMBERLAND | PFOA | 1.4× the federal limit | 21K |
D | KINGSTON WATER DISTRICT | WEST KINGSTON | PFOA | 1.3× the federal limit | 4.0K |
D | NARRAGANSETT WATER DEPT-NORTH END | NARRAGANSETT | PFOA | 1.1× the federal limit | 4.4K |
C | NORTH TIVERTON FIRE DISTRICT | TIVERTON | PFOA | 1.0× the federal limit | 9.0K |
C | NAVAL STATION, NEWPORT | NEWPORT | PFBA | Below detection | 7.9K |
C | NEWPORT-CITY OF | NEWPORT | PFPeA | Below detection | 42K |
B | PAWTUCKET-CITY OF | PAWTUCKET | 6:2FTS | Below detection | 98K |
B | JAMESTOWN WATER DEPARTMENT | JAMESTOWN | PFBA | Below detection | 3.3K |
A | PONAGANSET HIGH SCHOOL | NORTH SCITUATE | - | Below detection | 1.6K |
A | PORTSMOUTH WATER & FIRE DISTRICT | PORTSMOUTH | - | Below detection | 17K |
A | PROVIDENCE-CITY OF | PROVIDENCE | - | Below detection | 333K |
A | EAST PROVIDENCE-CITY OF | EAST PROVIDENCE | - | Below detection | 48K |
A | SMITHFIELD WATER SUPPLY BOARD | SMITHFIELD | - | Below detection | 9.5K |
A | SUEZ WATER RI | WAKEFIELD | - | Below detection | 22K |
A | WARWICK-CITY OF | WARWICK | - | Below detection | 73K |
A | BRISTOL COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY | WARREN | - | Below detection | 49K |
A | GREENVILLE WATER DISTRICT | GREENVILLE | - | Below detection | 9.5K |
A | LINCOLN WATER COMMISSION | LINCOLN | - | Below detection | 22K |
A | NARRAGANSETT WATER SYSTEM-POINT JUDITH | NARRAGANSETT | - | Below detection | 8.2K |
A | BLOCK ISLAND WATER COMPANY | BLOCK ISLAND | - | Below detection | 10.0K |
A | CNE - NEW LONDON TURNPIKE ENTRY POINT | WARWICK | - | Below detection | 10.0K |
A | RHODE ISLAND HOSPITAL - LIFESPAN | NEWTON | - | Below detection | 8.0K |
Check your water system
Enter your zip code to see the PFAS results for the water system that serves your home.
Where this data comes from
- EPA Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, 5th cycle (UCMR 5)
- Testing period: 2023 to 2026
- Federal limits: EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels finalized April 2024
- Read the full methodology