Ball, LA: 16 Health Violations - Home Safety 83/100
1 ZIP code · 4 water systems · Updated
ZipCheckup grade for Ball: B.
This ZIP looks solid, with a few items worth a quick check.
Your top priority: consider a certified water filter (16 health violations on record). NSF certified filters →
Within Ball, safety indicators for tap water remain above the LA median - documented violations are infrequent and the city's compliance record sits in the upper tier.
How Ball Compares
Data: EPA SDWIS
What You Should Know About Ball Water
- Your city's water systems recorded 18 violations in the past 5 years.
- Average lead level: 0.002 mg/L.
- Homes built before 1986: 56% - older plumbing may contain lead solder.
- Estimated remediation: $1,800 per household.
- CDC health risk index: 15.52 - above typical levels.
Who Supplies Your Water in Ball
Ball, LA draws its residential water from 3 separate providers among the 4 federally tracked systems. Each operates independently, with its own infrastructure, rate structure, and compliance record.
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Overview
We track home safety data for 1 ZIP code in Ball, Louisiana (population ~5,384), covering 4 community water systems serving approximately 56,319 people region-wide. The EPA snapshots used for this build directly map water systems to 1 of 1 ZIP codes.
1 of 1 ZIP code with a reported violation count in the available EPA record (100%) have recorded EPA violations. 16 health-based violations appear in the available health breakdown.
Home Safety Score
Average Home Safety Score for Ball: B (83/100)
Model 4.0.0 uses four measured components across three equally weighted domains. If a required domain is unavailable, no score is published:
| Factor | What It Measures |
|---|---|
| Water Quality | EPA violations and compliance history |
| PFAS MCL Screen | UCMR 5 testing against the covered federal MCLs |
| Radon Risk | EPA radon zone classification |
| Annual AQI | EPA AirData county-year median with at least 90 observed days |
Water Sources
Ball water systems draw from: Groundwater, Surface water.
Lead & Copper
- Average lead level (90th percentile): 0.0020 mg/L (EPA action level: 0.015 mg/L)
- 0 of 1 ZIP code with known status exceed the EPA lead action level
Top Contaminants
| Contaminant | Category | Violations | ZIPs Affected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contaminant 0700 | Other | 32 | 1 |
| Stage 1 DBP Rule | Treatment Technique | 2 | 1 |
| Surface Water Treatment Rule | Treatment Technique | 2 | 1 |
Areas with Most Violations
| ZIP Code | Safety Score | Violations | Health-Based | System |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71405 | B | 18 | 16 | Rapides Parish Waterworks District 3 |
All ZIP Codes in Ball
- 71405 [B] - 18 violations ⚠
Data Sources
- Water quality: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS)
- Lead/copper: EPA Lead and Copper Rule sampling data
- Radon: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Reporting periods vary by source. Missing data is shown as unavailable, not as zero.
Health Outcomes in Ball
Source: CDC PLACES (County-level estimates). Water contamination can correlate with respiratory and chronic health conditions.
Compared to National Average
Vertical line = national average. ■ Above national · ■ Below national
Top Contaminants in Ball Water
Based on EPA violation records. Check your ZIP code report for system-specific contaminant data.
Housing & Infrastructure in Ball
With 56% of homes built before 1986, lead solder in plumbing is a potential concern. The EPA banned lead solder in 1986, but many older homes retain original plumbing.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS).
Housing Age Profile
Reading the housing age data for Ball - median build year 1987 - the overriding implication is that the plumbing materials inside a typical home here reflect pre-1986 construction standards. In practical terms, that means lead-soldered copper joints are common across much of the housing stock. Where those materials are present, water can leach lead as it moves through joints - a pathway that corrosion control treatment under federal rules is designed to reduce, though it cannot eliminate lead risk where the plumbing materials themselves contain lead.
Over half of homes in Ball were built before 1986, when lead solder was banned. Older plumbing may leach lead into drinking water, especially with corrosive water chemistry.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS B25034.
Cost Context: What Remediation Means for Ball Homeowners
The household financial perspective in Ball reflects a moderate cost-to-value ratio - an equity share that is not trivially small but remains within the range where most homeowners can address documented water and safety issues by treating the expense as a real line item in property planning rather than a discretionary one.
Remediation costs are moderate relative to home values in Ball. The estimated $1,200–$2,500 range is manageable for most homeowners but still worth budgeting for. Home values are 4% above the Louisiana average.
Lead Exposure Risk for Children in Ball
Why children are most at risk: The CDC states there is no safe level of lead exposure for children. Children under 6 absorb lead more readily than adults, and even low levels can cause developmental delays, learning difficulties, and behavioral problems.
If 56% of the Ball inventory comes from before the federal ban on lead-bearing solder - and if utility samples sit at or near 0.015 mg/L - the gap between citywide averages and one specific faucet becomes a practical concern rather than a theoretical one. That is why one-home reads exist as a separate measurement. A certified filter through retailer networks addresses confirmed exposure where it appears in a household.
Sources: EPA Lead and Copper Rule, U.S. Census Bureau ACS, CDC childhood lead poisoning prevention guidelines.
Historical NFIP Claim Context in Ball
Historical NFIP data for Ball contains 54 flood insurance claims. Among claims with payment data, the average reported building, contents, and ICC component sum is $24,736. Among ZIP codes with claim records, 100% have an A- or V-family dominant rated zone recorded in those historical claims. This is not a complete current FEMA property-map inventory.
How flooding affects water quality: Flood events can introduce sewage, agricultural runoff, and industrial chemicals into water supplies. Even after floodwaters recede, contamination can persist in wells and aging infrastructure. The <strong>$1,800</strong> remediation estimate shown here excludes flood insurance and is not derived from NFIP claim count.
Claim count does not establish current property risk. Check the exact address in FEMA's current map and obtain a property-specific insurance quote when relevant.
Source: historical FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claim records. No current FEMA property-map designation is asserted.
Deep Dive Reports
Detailed analysis for Ball, LA