Duluth, MN: 3 Violations - Home Safety 83/100
14 ZIP codes · 4 water systems · Updated
ZipCheckup grade for Duluth: B.
This ZIP looks solid, with a few items worth a quick check.
Looking at federal monitoring data for Duluth, MN: the city clears benchmarks set under the Safe Drinking Water Act with room to spare - recorded exceedances are rare, and the systems serving local households have not triggered any pattern of repeat deficiencies in recent cycles.
How Duluth Compares
Data: EPA SDWIS
Water Quality Map: Duluth, MN
Each dot represents a ZIP code. Color indicates water quality grade. Tap a dot for details.
Score Distribution
Distribution of Home Safety grades across Duluth.
Duluth Water: The Quick Version
- Your city's water systems recorded 3 violations in the past 5 years.
- Average lead level: 0.008 mg/L.
- Homes built before 1986: 79% - older plumbing may contain lead solder.
- Estimated remediation: $1,300 per household.
- CDC health risk index: 12.88 - above typical levels.
Water Systems Serving Duluth
3 independent water providers serve Duluth, MN - 4 systems appear in federal records.
- B
- B
- B
Overview
We track home safety data for 14 ZIP codes in Duluth, Minnesota, covering 4 community water systems serving approximately 118,632 people. The EPA snapshots used for this build directly map water systems to 10 of 14 ZIP codes.
2 of 10 ZIP codes with a reported violation count in the available EPA record (20%) have recorded EPA violations. The available record reports no health-based violations for this measured scope.
Home Safety Score
Average Home Safety Score for Duluth: 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
Duluth water systems draw from: Surface water.
Lead & Copper
- Average lead level (90th percentile): 0.0080 mg/L (EPA action level: 0.015 mg/L)
- 0 of 10 ZIP codes with known status exceed the EPA lead action level
Radon Risk
Dominant radon zone: Zone 2 (Moderate Risk)
- Zone 1 (High): 0 ZIP codes
- Zone 2 (Moderate): 14 ZIP codes
- Zone 3 (Low): 0 ZIP codes
The EPA recommends testing homes in Zone 1 and Zone 2 areas for radon.
Top Contaminants
| Contaminant | Category | Violations | ZIPs Affected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 2 DBP Rule | Treatment Technique | 3 | 2 |
| Consumer Confidence Report Rule | Reporting | 3 | 2 |
| Revised Total Coliform Rule | Microbiological | 3 | 2 |
Areas with Most Violations
Areas with No Violations
| ZIP Code | Safety Score | System | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55802 | B | Duluth | 86,859 |
| 55803 | — | Duluth | 86,859 |
| 55804 | B | Duluth | 86,859 |
| 55805 | B | Duluth | 86,859 |
| 55806 | B | Duluth | 86,859 |
| 55807 | B | Duluth | 86,859 |
| 55808 | — | Duluth | 86,859 |
| 55812 | B | Duluth | 86,859 |
All ZIP Codes in Duluth
- 55801
- 55802 [B]
- 55803
- 55804 [B]
- 55805 [B]
- 55806 [B]
- 55807 [B]
- 55808
- 55810 [B] - 3 violations
- 55811 [B] - 3 violations
- 55812 [B]
- 55814
- 55815
- 55816
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.
CDC Health Data for Duluth
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
Key Contaminants Detected in Duluth
Based on EPA violation records. Check your ZIP code report for system-specific contaminant data.
How Old Is Duluth's Housing Stock?
With 79% 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
Lead solder was standard in copper plumbing until federally banned in 1986; lead pipes were common in service lines pre-1970. Duluth's median build year of 1938 reflects a housing stock where these older materials are a pervasive feature - not a rare legacy - of the residential plumbing landscape.
Over half of homes in Duluth 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.
Duluth: Remediation Cost in Perspective
Across Duluth, the equity share taken up by estimated remediation is small - a favorable ratio for most property owners.
Remediation costs in Duluth are relatively low compared to home values. The $600–$2,136 estimated range is a small fraction of median property value. Home values are 20% above the Minnesota average.
Protecting Children from Lead in Duluth
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.
Even where utility-side monitoring meets Lead and Copper Rule requirements, the 79% pre-rule share in Duluth keeps interior-plumbing variation as a household-level question that aggregate data cannot resolve.
Sources: EPA Lead and Copper Rule, U.S. Census Bureau ACS, CDC childhood lead poisoning prevention guidelines.
Historical Flood-Claim Evidence for Duluth
Historical NFIP data for Duluth contains 119 flood insurance claims. Among claims with payment data, the average reported building, contents, and ICC component sum is $18,372. Among ZIP codes with claim records, 67% 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>$1,300</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 Duluth, MN