What's Actually In Your Tap Water?
Use This Free Tool to Find Out.

Step 1: Look Up Your Specific Water Supply

Before anything else — look up your actual water. The EWG Tap Water Database is the most comprehensive public tool available. It pulls data directly from utility reports and shows you every detected contaminant in your local water supply, ranked by health risk.

When you get your results, you'll see two columns: the legal limit set by the EPA, and the health guideline set by independent scientists. The gap between those two numbers is where the real story is.

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What You'll Actually Find — And What It Means

Most municipal water reports show dozens of detected contaminants. Here's how to read them without getting overwhelmed.

These aren't trace amounts in a lab study. These are the levels the EWG found in utility water reports — the same water coming out of your tap right now.

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The 6 Contaminant Categories Explained

1. PFAS — "Forever Chemicals"

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are industrial chemicals used in nonstick cookware, firefighting foam, food packaging, and hundreds of other products. They're called "forever chemicals" because they never break down in the environment or in your body.

In April 2024, the EPA set the first-ever federal limit on PFAS in drinking water — at 4 parts per trillion. Many water systems across Kentucky and Indiana have been measured above this limit. Health effects include increased cancer risk, thyroid disease, immune system suppression, and developmental delays in children.

What removes it: Reverse osmosis (RO) and activated carbon filters. Standard pitcher filters and refrigerator filters do not remove PFAS.

2. Lead

Lead enters water after it leaves the treatment plant — through old pipes, solder, and fixtures in your home. There is no safe level of lead exposure for children. The CDC and WHO both state this explicitly. Brain damage from lead begins before any symptoms appear.

Homes built before 1986 are at significantly higher risk. Even newer homes can have lead solder in their plumbing. The Flint water crisis made headlines, but low-level lead contamination is happening quietly in cities across the country right now.

What removes it: Reverse osmosis, certified whole-home filtration systems. Basic carbon filters provide partial removal only.

3. Chlorine & Chloramines

Chlorine is added to municipal water to kill bacteria — and it works. The problem is it doesn't stop working when it reaches your home. You're showering in it, drinking it, and breathing it as steam every day. Long-term chlorine exposure is linked to bladder cancer, and chlorine reacts with organic matter in pipes to form disinfection byproducts (DBPs) — some of which are more harmful than the chlorine itself.

Many utilities have switched to chloramines (chlorine + ammonia) as an alternative — but chloramines create their own set of byproducts and are harder to remove than chlorine alone.

What removes it: Activated carbon filtration, whole-home systems. Standard RO alone does not remove chloramines effectively without a carbon pre-filter.

4. Nitrates

Nitrates come primarily from agricultural runoff — fertilizers leaching into groundwater and rivers. They're especially prevalent in rural areas and communities that draw water from rivers running through farmland. Nitrates are particularly dangerous for infants — they interfere with the blood's ability to carry oxygen, causing "blue baby syndrome" in severe cases.

What removes it: Reverse osmosis. Carbon filters do not remove nitrates.

5. Hard Water Minerals (Calcium & Magnesium)

Hard water isn't a health risk in the same way as lead or PFAS — but it causes serious damage to your home and your quality of life. 85% of US homes have hard water. The effects: scale buildup in pipes and appliances, water heater lifespan cut in half, skin that feels dry after showering, hair that looks dull, dishes with white spots, and soap that won't lather properly.

The average hard water home pays $500–$800 per year in extra energy costs and appliance wear. A water heater that should last 12 years lasts 6.

What removes it: Water softeners and whole-home refiners. RO systems do not soften water at the whole-home level.

6. Bacteria & Cysts

Municipal treatment kills most bacteria — but not all. Giardia and Cryptosporidium cysts are resistant to chlorine and have caused widespread illness in US cities. Aging infrastructure means contamination can enter the system after treatment, between the plant and your tap. Many municipalities issue boil advisories every year — often without significant media coverage.

What removes it: Sub-micron filtration, UV treatment, reverse osmosis.

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Kentucky & Southern Indiana: What the Data Shows

If you're in our service area, here's a snapshot of what EWG data shows for the region. These numbers are pulled from utility reports — your specific address may be higher or lower depending on your water source and the age of your pipes.

Area	Primary Concern	Risk Level	Source
Evansville, IN	PFAS, Nitrates, Chromium-6	High	Ohio River
Clarksville / Jeffersonville, IN	PFAS, Disinfection Byproducts	High	Ohio River
New Albany, IN	Lead, Hard Water	High	Aging infrastructure
Owensboro, KY	Nitrates, Agricultural runoff	Moderate	Ohio River / Groundwater
Bowling Green, KY	Hard Water, Chloramines	Moderate	Mixed sources
Elizabethtown, KY	Hard Water, DBPs	Moderate	Mixed sources
Louisville, KY	Chloramines, Hard Water	Lower	Ohio River (treated)

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What Filters Actually Remove (And What They Don't)

Not all filters are equal. Most people assume their refrigerator filter or Brita pitcher is handling everything — it's not. Here's a clear breakdown.

Contaminant	Pitcher Filter	Fridge Filter	Under-Counter RO	Whole-Home System
PFAS Forever Chemicals	✗	✗	✓	✓
Lead	~	~	✓	✓
Chlorine	✓	✓	✓	✓
Chloramines	✗	✗	✓	✓
Nitrates	✗	✗	✓	~
Hard Water Minerals	✗	✗	✗	✓
Bacteria & Cysts	✗	✗	✓	✓
Shower / Bath coverage	✗	✗	✗	✓

✓ Removes effectively  ·  ~ Partial removal  ·  ✗ Does not remove

The biggest gap: pitcher and fridge filters do nothing for PFAS, chloramines, nitrates, or hard water — and they only cover the water you drink, not the water you shower in. Chlorine and PFAS absorb through your skin and lungs in the shower, not just through drinking.

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What to Do Next

Here's the honest answer: the EWG database gives you area-level data. It's a great starting point. But it won't tell you what's happening between the treatment plant and your specific tap — which is where lead from old pipes, biofilm in water heaters, and localized contamination enters the picture.

The only way to know exactly what's in your water is a test at your address. We do these for free — no sales pressure, no obligation. We come to your home, test the water on the spot, and show you the results. If your water is fine, we'll tell you that too.

1. Check the EWG database for your zip code using the tool above
2. Look at the health guideline column — not just the legal limit
3. Note which contaminants are flagged — PFAS and lead are the highest priority
4. Book a free in-home test to get your exact address results
5. Choose the right system based on what your water actually contains