Water System Report KY

Paducah Water Works

EPA ID: KY0730533 ยท 65,004 people served ยท 10 ZIP codes

ZipCheckup's reading of EPA records for Paducah Water Works (KY0730533): no drinking-water violations recorded since 2021. Although compliance varies widely among water utilities nationally, the SDWIS file for Paducah Water Works lists no EPA violations for this supplier, whose service area covers 65,004 residents.

Data: EPA SDWIS

B ยท 83
Avg Safety Score
65,004
People Served
10
ZIP Codes Served
0
Violations (since 2021)
Surface Water
Water Source
Below the reporting limit
Most recent lead 90th percentile on record (monitoring period ending 2024-12-31)
Zone 3
County Radon Potential ยท Low
0
Contaminants Flagged
$168K
Median Home Value in ZIP Codes Served

Service Area Map

Coverage area for Paducah Water Works Source: EPA SDWIS service area boundaries.

Service area boundary - average Home Safety grade of mapped ZIPs: B

Demographics of ZIP Codes Served

$69,460
Median Household Income
101,420
Population of ZIP Codes Served (Census)
39%
Disadvantaged Population
62th
Poverty Percentile
71th
Energy Burden Percentile
54%
Pre-1986 Housing

The ZIP codes associated with Paducah Water Works have a median household income of $69,460 and about 101,420 residents live in those ZIP codes (Census; not the number of people this system supplies). Approximately 54% of housing stock was built before 1986, which increases the likelihood of lead service lines and older plumbing.

Environmental Justice Note: On average, 39% of census tracts in the counties mapped to this service area are designated disadvantaged by the federal Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST, 2022 version). Communities with higher disadvantaged populations often face disproportionate environmental and health burdens, including aging water infrastructure and limited resources for remediation.

๐ŸŒŠ Where Does Your Water Come From?

Surface Water

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.

Moderate Risk
Source Contamination Risk
51th
Wastewater Discharge Proximity
41th
Superfund Site Proximity

Infrastructure Risk

46 yr
Estimated pipe age (modeled from housing age)
Copper
Likely pipe material (modeled)
24 yr
Est. Remaining Life
Stable
Decay Status
Installed 66% of expected lifespan used (estimate) End of life

PFAS in ZIP Codes This System Serves

PFAS ("forever chemicals") have been reported in samples from water systems associated with the ZIP codes in this system's area. These results can come from other water systems serving the same ZIP codes; check the UCMR5 section for any results reported for this system. 35 detections recorded. 14 detections are above the level of a federal PFAS MCL (4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS), with compliance required from 2029.

Health concern: Exposure to certain PFAS has been associated with some cancers and with immune and developmental effects; effects differ by compound. Many PFAS break down very slowly in the environment.
Recommended filter: An activated carbon filter certified under NSF/ANSI 53 or a reverse osmosis system certified under NSF/ANSI 58 for the PFAS listed in its certification. Find the right filter โ†’

Comparable Water Systems

Similar-sized systems in Kentucky

B 0 violations
C 0 violations
B 1 violation
C 0 violations
Frankfort Plant Board
52,153 people
0 violations

Estimated Remediation Costs

Average estimated costs across ZIP codes served by this system

PFAS Treatment
PFAS Treatment $500
Total Estimated Cost $500

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.

Cost of Inaction

Illustrative per-household cost scenario based on stated assumptions:

PFAS Exposure - Lifetime Cost $1,000

Per person (emerging research est.)

Estimated Cumulative Cost Per Household

5 years
$165
10 years
$330
20 years
$660

Compare: Estimated remediation cost is $500 (one-time) vs. $330 in estimated inaction costs over 10 years.

Individual costs vary by household size, property, and health factors. These estimates are for awareness, not financial advice.

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 10 ZIP codes across 9 communities.

ZIP-Area Home Safety Context: B (83/100)

This is the average Home Safety Score for 3 of 10 service-area ZIP codes with all required score domains observed. It is not a grade for the water utility.

Model 4.0.0 uses SDWIS identity plus accepted ECHO SDWA lifecycle-based water compliance, the UCMR 5 PFAS MCL screen, EPA radon zone, and annual EPA AirData AQI across three equally weighted domains. Missing required evidence suppresses the score.

Violation History

No accepted violation records in the 2021-2026 window - The accepted EPA ECHO 2026Q2 snapshot contains zero violation records for this system whose record year falls from 2021 through 2026, inclusive. This is not a tap-water safety guarantee.

Lead & Copper

EPA Lead and Copper Rule evidence attributed directly to this water system:

Lead Level Exceeds Action Level Sample Date
Below the reporting limit No 2024-12-31

No copper action-level exceedance record appears for this PWSID in the accepted LCR snapshot. This does not establish a clean copper measurement.

Radon Risk in Service Area

10 of 10 ZIP records with known zones are in EPA Radon Zone 3.

The EPA recommends testing all homes regardless of radon zone. County radon zones cannot replace an in-home radon test.

ZIP Codes Served

Coverage: Service area ZIP codes sourced from EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3 (March 2026 release). These ZIPs reflect the actual deployment footprint recorded by KY or modeled from parcel and building-footprint data.

Data Sources

This report uses public data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). View available EPA compliance records for Paducah Water Works (KY0730533) on EPA.gov.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Paducah Water Works water safe to drink?

The accepted 2026Q2 ECHO snapshot contains zero violation records for Paducah Water Works in the inclusive 2021-2026 record-year window. This is a compliance-record finding, not a guarantee about water at a specific tap.

How many people does Paducah Water Works serve?

Paducah Water Works serves approximately 65,004 people across 10 ZIP codes in Kentucky.

Where does Paducah Water Works get its water?

The primary water source is surface water.

Federal UCMR5 PFAS Monitoring: Sample Above an EPA MCL Value or State Standard

This water system was tested under the federal EPA Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5). One or more PFAS measurements were above the level of the EPA MCL for that compound (April 2024 rule, which takes effect in 2029) or above an applicable state drinking-water standard; a monitoring result above that level is not by itself a violation.

Samples collected
116
Detections
10
Latest sample
11/11/2024
Highest analyte
PFOS: 8.1 ppt
Analyte Max detected EPA MCL (compliance required from 2029) Status
PFOS 8.1 ppt 4 ppt Above EPA MCL value (compliance required from 2029)
PFBA 7.3 ppt No federal MCL โ€”
PFOA 5.8 ppt 4 ppt Above EPA MCL value (compliance required from 2029)
PFPeA 4.6 ppt No federal MCL โ€”
PFBS 3.3 ppt No federal MCL โ€”

EPA's April 2024 PFAS rule sets MCLs of 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS and 10 ppt for PFHxS, PFNA and HFPO-DA (GenX); water systems must comply from 2029. Other PFAS compounds have no individual federal MCL. A state standard is shown only where this system's state has its own enforceable PFAS limit. Detection results are EPA UCMR5 samples, not a measurement at your tap.

Source: U.S. EPA UCMR5 (Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, 5th cycle) โ€” per-system federal sampling, 2023โ€“2025. EPA UCMR5 monitoring program โ†’

Understand PFAS health context and filtration โ†’

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is water from Paducah Water Works safe to drink? ▼
Paducah Water Works has 0 recorded violations since 2021. The B shown is a ZIP-area score, not a grade for this utility; see the violation table for what was violated.
Should I use a water filter? ▼
No EPA drinking-water violations since 2021 are on record for Paducah Water Works; this page does not establish contaminant levels at your tap. That is a compliance record, not a guarantee about the water at your tap; a certified filter can target a specific contaminant you are concerned about.
How many people does Paducah Water Works serve? ▼
Paducah Water Works serves approximately 65,004 people with drinking water across 10 ZIP codes.
What is Paducah Water Works's water source? ▼
Paducah Water Works draws water from surface water sources. Source type affects which contaminants are most likely to be present.
Is there lead in Paducah Water Works's water? ▼
The reported 90th-percentile lead result is below the laboratory reporting limit, not a measured zero; EPA's health goal for lead is zero. This is at or below the EPA lead action level, which triggers system action and is not a safe level; the EPA health goal for lead is zero.
What is the demographic profile of the ZIP codes associated with Paducah Water Works? ▼
The ZIP codes mapped to Paducah Water Works have a median household income of $69,460 (Census ZIP-code estimate). In CEJST data, 39% of census tracts in the counties mapped to this area are designated disadvantaged (average across mapped ZIP codes), which may indicate greater vulnerability to environmental health risks.
Where does Paducah Water Works get its water? ▼
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. Based on the available data, the modeled source-contamination category is moderate; test local water to assess actual exposure.

How to cite this page

APA ZipCheckup. (n.d.). Paducah Water Works, KY: Serves 65K People. https://zipcheckup.com/water-system/ky0730533/
BibTeX
@misc{zipcheckup-water-system-ky0730533,
  author = {{ZipCheckup}},
  title  = {{Paducah Water Works, KY: Serves 65K People}},
  year   = {n.d.},
  url    = {https://zipcheckup.com/water-system/ky0730533/}
}
Home › Water Systems › Kentucky › Paducah Water Works

Get safety alerts for Paducah Water Works, Kentucky

Free updates when EPA data changes for this area. No spam.

Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy Policy.

Share This Page

X Facebook
Check your water filter options Free tool - no phone call required.