City of Madison Logo
Image: Water Header

Water Quality Testing

For questions about Water Quality,
call (608)266-4654, email:water@cityofmadison.com

EPA SAFE DRINKING WATER HOTLINE
1-800-426-4791,
Web: epa.gov/safewater

Subscribe to the Water Quality ListServe email updates on water quality topics  

Image: At Your Service

Madison Water Utility staff take more than 20, 000 water quality samples per year. Water is tested for 140 different substances and potential contaminants. Samples are taken at well houses, from the distribution system and from customer taps.

Customers who are interested in having their drinking water tested are referred directly to the laboratories that perform the analysis. Cost of testing is borne by the person making the request. Either the Environmental Testing Lab at Public Health for Madison--Dane County (608-266-4821) or the Drinking Water Testing Laboratory at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (608-224-6202) can perform a variety of water quality tests. Tests that are typically requested by homeowners include lead, copper, iron, manganese, and total coliform (bacteria). Laboratory staff are able to help homeowners decide which contaminants to test based on what they are observing at their home.

Water Quality Reporting
Testing results for the year 2006:

Government Standards
The EPA and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) establish the safe drinking water regulations that limit the amount of contaminants allowed in the water. The EPA sets the Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for each regulated contaminant and also the Maximum Contaminant Level Goals (MCLGs) for drinking water systems. MCLGs are the contaminant levels we strive to achieve for the water delivered to our consumers. Tables in this report show the concentrations of detected substances in comparison to the EPA’s established MCLs and MCLGs.

Pesticides and Herbicides
Pesticides, herbicides and other synthetic organic compounds (SOCs) may come from agriculture, urban stormwater runoff or residential sources. We monitor for more than 40 different pesticides and herbicides in our drinking water. There were no quantifiable detections in our 2005 monitoring.  (Samples are taken every three years).