Paducah Water Works
EPA ID: KY0730533 · 65,004 people served · 12 ZIP codes
Water monitoring for Paducah Water Works: clean, five years, 65,004 residents.
Data: EPA SDWIS Last verified: 2026-04-02
Service Area Map
Coverage area for Paducah Water Works Source: EPA SDWIS service area boundaries.
Service area boundary — Grade B
Service Area Demographics
The Paducah Water Works serves a community with a median household income of $68,868 and an estimated 125,055 residents across its service area. Approximately 55% of housing stock was built before 1986, which increases the likelihood of lead service lines and older plumbing.
Environmental Justice Note: 40% of the population in this service area is classified as disadvantaged under EPA's EJScreen criteria. Communities with higher disadvantaged populations often face disproportionate environmental and health burdens, including aging water infrastructure and limited resources for remediation.
🌊 Where Does Your Water Come From?
Paducah Water Works's water is drawn from rivers, lakes, or reservoirs. Surface water sources are more exposed to agricultural runoff, stormwater, and upstream discharges, but they typically receive more intensive treatment before reaching your tap.
About 1% of homes in McCracken County, Kentucky rely on private wells rather than public water systems. Private well owners are responsible for their own water testing and treatment.
Infrastructure Risk
PFAS Detected in Service Area
PFAS ("forever chemicals") have been detected in water serving this system's area. 40 detections recorded. 16 exceed federal EPA limits (4 ppt for PFOA/PFOS). 16 exceed state limits.
Comparable Water Systems
Similar-sized systems in Kentucky
Estimated Remediation Costs
Average estimated costs across ZIP codes served by this system
Based on national averages for common remediation projects. Actual costs vary by property. Only issues flagged by EPA, FEMA, or state data for each ZIP code are included.
System Overview
Paducah Water Works (EPA ID: KY0730533) is a community water system in Kentucky that serves approximately 65,004 people from surface water sources.
This system provides water to 12 ZIP codes across 10 communities.
Average Home Safety Score: B (76/100)
Based on water quality violations, lead levels, and radon risk across all ZIP codes served by this system.
Violation History
Lead & Copper
No Lead and Copper Rule sampling data available for this water system.
Radon Risk in Service Area
Dominant radon zone for ZIP codes served by this system: Zone 3 (Low Risk)
Need help with your water quality?
Typical cost: Water test: typically $20–$50 (DIY kit) · Professional inspection: $150–$400
Find the Right Water FilterFree tip: Let cold water run for 2 minutes before drinking — this helps flush lead from your pipes.
ZIP Codes Served
Coverage: 11 ZIP codes confirmed via EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3 plus 1 additional ZIP inferred from SDWIS registry data. The EPA-confirmed set is the most reliable; SDWIS-inferred entries may be narrower than the real deployment area.
- 42001 — Paducah
- 42002 — Paducah
- 42003 — Paducah
- 42025 — Benton
- 42027 — Boaz
- 42029 — Calvert City
- 42051 — Hickory
- 42053 — Kevil
- 42066 — Mayfield
- 42069 — Melber
- 42082 — Symsonia
- 42086 — West Paducah
Data Sources
This report uses public data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). View the full compliance record for Paducah Water Works (KY0730533) on EPA.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Paducah Water Works water safe to drink?
Based on EPA records, Paducah Water Works has no recorded violations in the past 5 years — a positive indicator of water quality management.
How many people does Paducah Water Works serve?
Paducah Water Works serves approximately 65,004 people across 12 ZIP codes in Kentucky.
Where does Paducah Water Works get its water?
The primary water source is surface water.
Contact Your Water Utility
Public-record contact information for the water utility serving this system. Use these channels to request water quality reports, ask about service, or report issues directly.
Contact information from Paducah Water Consumer Confidence Report.
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with this water utility, does not act as its agent, and does not provide customer support for it. Contact details shown are public-record information from CCR filings. For service issues, contact the utility directly using the information above.
Water Source & Treatment
Where this water originates and how it's treated before reaching your tap.
Source: Paducah Water Consumer Confidence Report.
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with this water utility. Treatment and source data are sourced from the utility's published CCR filings.
An analysis of the susceptibility of PW’s water supply to contamination indicates that this susceptibility is generally high. There are numerous petroleum storage facilities along the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers that provide fuel to land and river transportation. Numerous bridges cross the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers, as well as major tributaries such as the Clarks River and Island Creek. These bridges are of greater concern due to the possibility of hazardous materials infiltrating the water source near the intake due to traffic accidents, structural collapse of the bridge, or illegal dumping. River traffic is a concern that has become more prevalent in the past few years due in part to accidents and collisions.
Treatment regime
How this utility classifies its treatment process and what each reported treatment chemical does.
Watershed exposure sources reported
Land-use and natural conditions identified in the utility's source-water assessment as potential contamination sources upstream of treatment.
Treatment classification and chemical list sourced from Paducah Water Consumer Confidence Report.
Treatment intensity is a ZipCheckup-derived classification based on the chemicals and processes the utility reports. Chemicals and contamination sources are taken verbatim from the utility's CCR filing. Routine federal monitoring and contaminant testing shown elsewhere on this page determine whether the water meets safety standards, not the treatment classification.
Federal UCMR5 PFAS Monitoring: Detected
This water system was tested under the federal EPA Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5). PFAS compounds were detected below the current state-enforceable MCL.
Current MCL reflects the lowest state-enforceable limit (NYS 10 ppt for PFOA/PFOS, effective August 2020). The federal final MCL of 4 ppt for PFOA/PFOS (EPA April 2024 rule) is not enforceable until April 2029. Detections above 4 ppt but below 10 ppt are below current MCL but above the future federal limit.
Source: U.S. EPA UCMR5 (Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, 5th cycle) — per-system federal sampling, 2023–2025. EPA UCMR5 monitoring program →
PFAS Substances Detected in This System
This water system's Consumer Confidence Report disclosed the following PFAS compounds. Levels are from the utility's most recent reporting cycle.
In April 2024, EPA finalized the first National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for six PFAS. Public water systems have until 2029 to comply. EPA — PFAS regulation overview →
Source: Consumer Confidence Report disclosed by Paducah Water.
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with this water utility. PFAS detection data is sourced from public Consumer Confidence Reports filed by the utility itself.
Lead Service Line Inventory
Service line breakdown reported under the federal Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) inventory requirement:
Federal LCRI rule (effective October 2024) requires every public water system to inventory its service lines and complete lead-line replacement within 10 years.
Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Service Line Inventory (Phase 2) · Submitted 2026
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with the utility or state agency. Inventory figures render verbatim from the public LCRI submission cited above; ZipCheckup does not perform inspections or replacements.
How Water Systems Appear in Rankings
Water systems are evaluated by violation history, contaminant detections, and service population. Larger systems with more service connections appear in more rankings.