Is Tap Water Safe to Drink in St. Paul?
Yes, tap water in St. Paul is safe to drink. Saint Paul Regional Water Services routes Mississippi River water through a chain of natural lakes before treating and softening it, and the supply meets all EPA standards.
Water Source
Saint Paul Regional Water Services diverts Mississippi River water into a chain of lakes (Pleasant, Sucker and Vadnais) that provide natural pre-settling, then treats and softens it at the McCarrons treatment plant, with groundwater wells as backup.
EPA Compliance Status
Meets all federal Safe Drinking Water Act standards. The utility softens the water at the plant and maintains corrosion control while pursuing an ambitious lead service line replacement program aiming to remove all lead lines within roughly a decade.
Notable Contaminants & Context
- •Legacy lead service lines in older neighborhoods are the main local issue; a city-backed program launched in 2023 aims to replace all of them at no direct cost to homeowners
- •Disinfection byproducts from river-sourced water are monitored and within limits
- •Upstream agricultural runoff on the Mississippi is a routine watch item
Water Quality Data
Key contaminants detected vs. regulatory limits. All values from the most recent published report — Source: Saint Paul Regional Water Services 2024 CCR.
| Contaminant | Detected | Limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlorine (total) | 1.7 mg/L | 4.0 mg/L | ✓ |
| Fluoride | 0.71 mg/L | 4.0 mg/L | ✓ |
| Lead (90th percentile) | 3.4 µg/L | 15.0 µg/L | ✓ |
| Nitrate (as N) | 1.3 mg/L | 10.0 mg/L | ✓ |
| TTHM (Total Trihalomethanes) | 37.6 µg/L | 80.0 µg/L | ✓ |
| HAA5 (Haloacetic Acids) | 26.4 µg/L | 60.0 µg/L | ✓ |
✓ = below limit ⚠ = above health goal ✗ = exceeds guideline
How It Compares
St. Paul's lake-chain pre-treatment is an unusual natural buffer few river cities enjoy, and its fully funded citywide lead line replacement drive is among the more aggressive in the Midwest, in the same spirit as Newark's completed program.
Tips
- •Check the utility's online map to see if your address has a lead service line and get on the replacement schedule
- •Run the cold tap briefly in older homes before drinking
- •The annual report details softening and lead program progress
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources & References
The safety rating and guidance on this page draw on the following sources. See our full methodology.
- •US EPA Safe Drinking Water Act regulations
- •EWG Tap Water Database
- •The utility's most recent Consumer Confidence Report (CCR)
- •WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality