Water System Report KY

Bowling Green Municipal Utilities

EPA ID: KY1140038 ยท 53,601 people served ยท 3 ZIP codes

ZipCheckup's reading of EPA records for Bowling Green Municipal Utilities (KY1140038): no drinking-water violations recorded since 2021. Federal monitoring records show zero violations at Bowling Green Municipal Utilities for the reporting cycles they cover, at a utility serving approximately 53,601 residents.

Data: EPA SDWIS

C ยท 57
Avg Safety Score
53,601
People Served
3
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 1
County Radon Potential ยท High
0
Contaminants Flagged
$283K
Median Home Value in ZIP Codes Served

Service Area Map

Coverage area for Bowling Green Municipal Utilities Source: EPA SDWIS service area boundaries.

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

Demographics of ZIP Codes Served

$73,975
Median Household Income
126,490
Population of ZIP Codes Served (Census)
33%
Disadvantaged Population
50th
Poverty Percentile
50th
Energy Burden Percentile
42%
Pre-1986 Housing

The ZIP codes associated with Bowling Green Municipal Utilities have a median household income of $73,975 and about 126,490 residents live in those ZIP codes (Census; not the number of people this system supplies). Approximately 42% of housing stock was built before 1986, which increases the likelihood of lead service lines and older plumbing.

Environmental Justice Note: On average, 33% 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

Bowling Green Municipal Utilities'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
50th
Wastewater Discharge Proximity
30th
Superfund Site Proximity

Infrastructure Risk

35 yr
Estimated pipe age (modeled from housing age)
Copper
Likely pipe material (modeled)
35 yr
Est. Remaining Life
Moderate Wear
Decay Status
Installed 50% 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. 1 detection recorded.

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

Frankfort Plant Board
52,153 people
0 violations
C 0 violations
0 violations
Ashland Water Works
44,402 people
B 0 violations
Mountain Water District
44,057 people
B 10 violations

Estimated Remediation Costs

Average estimated costs across ZIP codes served by this system

Water Filtration PFAS Treatment
Water Filtration $300
PFAS Treatment $250
Total Estimated Cost $550

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 $550 (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

Bowling Green Municipal Utilities (EPA ID: KY1140038) is a community water system in Kentucky that serves approximately 53,601 people from surface water sources.

This system provides water to 3 ZIP codes across 1 community.

ZIP-Area Home Safety Context: C (57/100)

This is the average Home Safety Score for 1 of 3 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

3 of 3 ZIP records with known zones are in EPA Radon Zone 1.

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 Bowling Green Municipal Utilities (KY1140038) on EPA.gov.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Bowling Green Municipal Utilities water safe to drink?

The accepted 2026Q2 ECHO snapshot contains zero violation records for Bowling Green Municipal Utilities 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 Bowling Green Municipal Utilities serve?

Bowling Green Municipal Utilities serves approximately 53,601 people across 3 ZIP codes in Kentucky.

Where does Bowling Green Municipal Utilities get its water?

The primary water source is surface water.

Federal UCMR5 PFAS Monitoring: No PFAS Reported Above Reporting Levels

This water system was tested under the federal EPA Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5). No PFAS compounds were reported above UCMR5 minimum reporting levels.

Samples collected
116

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 Bowling Green Municipal Utilities safe to drink? ▼
Bowling Green Municipal Utilities has 0 recorded violations since 2021. The C 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 Bowling Green Municipal Utilities; 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 Bowling Green Municipal Utilities serve? ▼
Bowling Green Municipal Utilities serves approximately 53,601 people with drinking water across 3 ZIP codes.
What is Bowling Green Municipal Utilities's water source? ▼
Bowling Green Municipal Utilities draws water from surface water sources. Source type affects which contaminants are most likely to be present.
Is there lead in Bowling Green Municipal Utilities'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 Bowling Green Municipal Utilities? ▼
The ZIP codes mapped to Bowling Green Municipal Utilities have a median household income of $73,975 (Census ZIP-code estimate). In CEJST data, 33% 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 Bowling Green Municipal Utilities get its water? ▼
Bowling Green Municipal Utilities'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.). Bowling Green Municipal Utilities, KY: Serves 54K People. https://zipcheckup.com/water-system/ky1140038/
BibTeX
@misc{zipcheckup-water-system-ky1140038,
  author = {{ZipCheckup}},
  title  = {{Bowling Green Municipal Utilities, KY: Serves 54K People}},
  year   = {n.d.},
  url    = {https://zipcheckup.com/water-system/ky1140038/}
}

What You Can Do

1

Test your water

Home test kits can detect lead, bacteria, and other contaminants at your tap. Find the right filter โ†’

2

Check your specific ZIP code

Water quality can vary within a system. View nearest ZIP report โ†’

3

Contact your utility

Bowling Green Municipal Utilities (EPA ID: KY1140038) - request the latest Consumer Confidence Report or ask about specific contaminants.

Home › Water Systems › Kentucky › Bowling Green Municipal Utilities

Get safety alerts for Bowling Green Municipal Utilities, 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.