How do you check if your tap water is safe?

Short answer. Read the official results for your own supply. In the United States, community water systems must send a Consumer Confidence Report each year by July 1 ¹. France publishes results commune by commune on eaupotable.sante.gouv.fr ⁵. Elsewhere, ask your water company, municipality or utility ⁶⁷⁸. Lead from old household pipes can be missed, so ask about your service line ³⁷.

Where do you find the official results for your water?

United States. The Consumer Confidence Report states where your water comes from (a lake, river or aquifer) and the risk of contamination, lists the regulated contaminants that were detected, and explains the health effects of any that broke an EPA health standard, with the corrective action taken ¹. If it never reached you, call your water supplier or use the EPA's CCR search tool ¹. For a deeper check, the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) holds basic information, violations and enforcement actions for each public water system, and its Fed Reporting Services let the public query it ².

France. The Ministry of Health site shows "les résultats du contrôle sanitaire de l'eau du robinet, commune par commune" ⁵. The mayor must post the test bulletins or summaries at the town hall, and each subscriber receives the yearly infofacture covering the previous year's water ⁵.

Australia. NSW Health says your water utility can give you its test results, and recommends that all public water suppliers report water quality to their consumers regularly ⁸.

How do you read a result?

Most reports compare each measured value with a legal limit. Three words matter:

• Compliant (conforme). The value is within the limit. In France, limits of quality ("limites de qualité") cover microbiological parameters and about thirty undesirable or toxic substances that can affect health ⁵.
• Indicator exceeded. France also sets references of quality ("références de qualité") for about twenty parameters such as pH, chlorine and hardness; they signal how treatment and distribution are working rather than a direct health risk ⁵.
• Non-compliant (non conforme). A limit was exceeded. What it means depends on the substance and on the advice attached. For pesticides in France, "NC1" water exceeds the limit repeatedly but may still be drunk without health risk while improvement work is carried out, while "NC2" water "ne doit pas être consommée" (must not be drunk) ⁵.

For nitrates between 50 and 100 mg/L, the ARS Île-de-France advises pregnant women and infants to limit consumption ⁵.

In the US, a past violation listed in the report comes with the system's corrective action ¹; check whether it is resolved. If a result worries you, call the supplier named on the report; if you are pregnant, feeding an infant or have a health condition, ask your doctor what it means for you.

Why can lead from old pipes be missing from the report?

Because the lead often comes from your own pipes, after the water leaves the main. The EPA says lead service lines, the pipes connecting a home to the water main, are "typically the most significant source of lead in the water" ³. You cannot see, taste or smell lead, so testing is the only reliable way to know ³.

The pipe is often split between owners. In the UK the water company owns the pipe up to the stop valve outside your property, and the owner is responsible for the supply pipe and all plumbing inside ⁶. In most Canadian communities the municipality or utility is responsible only up to the curb ⁷.

Agencies differ on flushing. Health Canada says to run the tap for about 1 minute after water has stood for a few hours ⁷. The DWI says a washing-up bowl full is usually enough, and to flush for at least 10 minutes after any work on a lead pipe ⁶. enHealth, quoted by NSW Health, recommends about 10 seconds first thing in the morning ⁸. The EPA says to ask your utility for local flushing guidance ³. The EPA and Health Canada both say to use only cold water for drinking, cooking and baby formula ³⁷, and the EPA adds that boiling does not remove lead ³.

When should you have your water tested yourself?

Public supplies are tested by the operator; in France the ARS runs its own health checks on top ⁵. You need your own test when:

• You are on a private well. In the US, private wells are not regulated by the federal government and the owner is responsible for delivering safe water ⁹; see the Phaenyx guide on private wells in an emergency.
• Your home may have lead pipes (see the dates above). Ask your utility or water company first: in the UK it tests at the kitchen tap ⁶, and many Canadian municipalities test on request ⁷.

How do you get alerts from your water supplier?

Reports are yearly; problems are not. In the US, a supplier has 24 hours to notify people for an immediate-risk situation (Tier 1), using broadcast and print media, public postings or personal delivery ⁴. Less urgent violations must be notified within 30 days (Tier 2) or within a year (Tier 3) ⁴.

Make sure the notice can reach you: register your phone number and email with your water company or municipality if it offers alerts, and check your local emergency alert service. If you rent, ask your landlord or building manager to pass notices on. When an alert comes, the Phaenyx guides on a boil water notice and a do not drink notice cover what to do, and emergency water filters explains what a home filter can and cannot handle.

What official agencies recommend

• United States (EPA): Read the Consumer Confidence Report sent by July 1, call your supplier or use the CCR search if you did not get it ¹, and contact your water utility about lead testing and your service line ³.
• France (ARS): Check eaupotable.sante.gouv.fr, the town hall posting or the infofacture sent with your bill ⁵.
• United Kingdom (DWI): If your home was built before 1970, ask your water company to test the kitchen tap, and replace lead pipework with a qualified plumber ⁶.
• Canada (Health Canada): Ask your plumber, utility or municipality whether your area has lead service lines, and have your water tested if you suspect one ⁷.
• Australia (NSW Health): Ask your water utility for its results; your Public Health Unit can explain water quality and health ⁸.

Where agencies differ, follow the agency of the country you live in.

Frequently asked questions

I rent. Do I still get the water quality report?

In the US, the report goes to the water system's customers ¹, who may be your landlord. You can call the supplier or use the EPA's CCR search tool to find it yourself ¹. In France, the results for your commune are online and posted at the town hall ⁵.

Does a clean report mean the water at my tap is lead-free?

Not necessarily. The main source of lead is often the service line and plumbing serving your home ³, which can belong to you rather than the utility ⁶⁷. Ask your utility or water company about a test.

What does NC1 or NC2 mean on a French result?

For pesticides, NC1 means the limit is exceeded but the water may be drunk while improvement work is carried out; NC2 means it must not be drunk ⁵.

Water and air where you live

The Phaenyx water pages set out drinking water rules and alerts country by country.

Your Phaenyx plan includes a "Water and air" section that lists the water and air risks for your postcode. The Phaenyx Safe app keeps the action sheets available offline. Build your Phaenyx plan.

Sources

1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — CCR Information for Consumers — https://www.epa.gov/ccr/ccr-information-consumers (accessed 2026-10-27)
2. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Safe Drinking Water Information System — https://www.epa.gov/waterdata/safe-drinking-water-information-system (accessed 2026-10-27)
3. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Basic Information about Lead in Drinking Water — https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water (accessed 2026-10-27)
4. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Public Notification Rule — https://www.epa.gov/dwreginfo/public-notification-rule (accessed 2026-10-27)
5. Agence régionale de santé Île-de-France — Alimentation en eau potable : l'information sur la qualité de l'eau du robinet — https://www.iledefrance.ars.sante.fr/eau-du-robinet-comment-sinformer-sur-sa-qualite (accessed 2026-10-27)
6. Drinking Water Inspectorate — Lead in Drinking Water — https://dwi.gov.uk/lead-in-drinking-water/ (accessed 2026-10-27)
7. Health Canada — Water Talk - Lead in drinking water — https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/environmental-workplace-health/reports-publications/water-quality/water-talk-minimizing-exposure-lead-drinking-water-distribution-systems.html (accessed 2026-10-27)
8. NSW Health — Drinking water and public health — https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/environment/water/Pages/drinking-water-and-public-health.aspx (accessed 2026-10-27)
9. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Private Drinking Water Wells — https://www.epa.gov/privatewells (accessed 2026-10-27)