Water Quality Report: How to Find and Read Yours
How to find your drinking water quality report (CCR), read the contaminants table, and what to do if something looks wrong.
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Water Quality Guides
Water Quality: Know What’s in Your Tap
How to test your water, read your water report, and understand the most common problems in US homes, from hard water to chlorine, iron and well water.
Essential Water Quality Guides
New to water treatment? Read these first.
Read guide →
What Is Hard Water?
What causes it, how hard is too hard, and how it affects your home.
Read guide →
How to Test Water Hardness at Home
Five easy methods, from test strips to a certified lab.
Read guide →
Water Hardness by State
Map and data for all 50 states and major US cities.
Use the tool →
Water Hardness by Zip Code
Look up the hardness for your ZIP code or city in seconds.
Read guide →
What Is TDS in Water?
Good TDS levels, testing and how to lower it.
Read guide →
Remove Hard Water Stains
Glass, faucets, sinks and toilets, step by step.
Read guide →
How to Read Your Water Quality Report
Make sense of your city’s annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Read guide →
Well Water Testing Guide
What to test for, how often, and where to send samples.
Common Water Problems in US Homes
Match what you see at home to the likely cause and the usual fix.
Hard Water
White scale, spotty dishes, poor lather, dry skin. Caused by calcium and magnesium.
Fix: water softener →
Chlorine Taste & Smell
Pool-like smell in city water. Utilities add chlorine to keep water safe from germs.
Fix: carbon filter →
Iron & Rust Stains
Orange or brown stains in sinks, toilets and laundry. Common in well water.
Fix: iron filter or softener
Unknown Contaminants
Worried about lead, nitrate or PFAS? You can’t see, taste or smell most of them.
Fix: certified lab test first| What you notice | Likely cause | Usual fix |
|---|---|---|
| White crust on faucets, spots on glass | Hardness (calcium, magnesium) | Water softener |
| Swimming-pool smell or taste | Chlorine or chloramine | Carbon filter |
| Orange or brown stains | Iron | Iron filter or softener |
| Black stains or specks | Manganese | Manganese or oxidizing filter |
| Rotten-egg smell | Hydrogen sulfide | Oxidizing or carbon filter |
| Cloudy water that clears from the bottom up | Tiny air bubbles (usually harmless) | None needed |
| Blue-green stains | Corrosive water reacting with copper pipes | Test pH; neutralizer |
Iron starts to stain at about 0.3 mg/L and manganese at about 0.05 mg/L, the EPA’s secondary (non-health) guidelines.
City Water vs Well Water
Where your water comes from changes who tests it and what to watch for.
City waterTested by your utility
- Treated and tested to meet EPA drinking water standards
- Results published every year in a Consumer Confidence Report
- Common issues: chlorine taste, hardness, old lead service lines
Private wellTested by you
- Not covered by federal drinking water rules; the owner is responsible
- Health agencies advise testing at least once a year
- Common issues: hardness, iron, bacteria, nitrate
Free and easy
Check Your Water Quality Report
Most US community water systems must send customers an annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR). It lists what was found in your water and how it compares with EPA limits.
Where to find itSearch your water utility’s name + “water quality report”, look at your water bill, or use the EPA’s CCR search tool. Hardness is often listed in mg/L or grains per gallon.
Want an exact number for your own tap? Use a home hardness test.
Water Quality FAQ
How do I know if my tap water is safe?
If you are on city water, read your utility’s annual Consumer Confidence Report, which shows test results against EPA limits. If you have a private well, the only way to know is to test it, ideally once a year with a certified lab.
Is hard water a water quality problem?
Hard water is not a health risk, so it is treated as an aesthetic issue. It causes scale, spots and dry skin, but the EPA sets no health limit for hardness.
Can I see or taste contaminants in my water?
Some problems, like iron, chlorine and sulfur, are easy to notice. Others, such as lead, nitrate and PFAS, have no color, taste or smell, so only a test can find them.
Does boiling water make it safe?
Boiling kills germs, which is why it is used during boil-water notices. It does not remove lead, nitrate or other chemicals, and it can concentrate them as water evaporates.
Have a question about your water?
Tell us what you are seeing at home and we may cover it in an upcoming guide.
Latest Guides
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US Hard Water Map: Water Hardness by State and City (2026)
See water hardness for all 50 states on a color-coded map, the hardest and softest states, and real data for major US cities.
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How to Test Water Hardness at Home (5 Easy Methods)
Learn how to test water hardness at home with test strips, a drop test kit, your utility report, the soap bottle test or a lab, and how to read your results in GPG.
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What Is Hard Water? Causes, Signs and How to Fix It
Hard water is water high in dissolved calcium and magnesium. Learn what causes it, what is considered hard water, the signs to look for, whether it is safe, and how to fix it.
