Is Tap Water Safe to Drink in El Salvador?

The national utility ANDA (Administración Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillados) serves about 40% of the population across 149 of 262 municipalities. The Lempa River watershed supplies drinking water to approximately 68% of the population via the Las Pavas treatment plant, which serves roughly 2.5 million people in greater San Salvador. Over 800 rural community organizations provide water to about 30% of the population.

Bacterial contamination is widespread, with total coliforms exceeding 10,000 colonies per 100 mL measured in the Cerrón Grande reservoir. Heavy metals including chromium and lead have been found in reservoir water receiving discharge from 54 industrial plants. DDT concentrations of 3.15 mg/L have been detected in the Río Grande de San Miguel. Nearly 90% of industrial wastewater is discharged untreated.

San Salvador receives chlorinated water from ANDA via Las Pavas, but supply is intermittent (16 hours/day down to once every 4 days in some areas). Rural areas have far lower access: only 42% of rural households have piped water on premises versus 80% urban. Rural water is typically from groundwater wells managed by local community organizations.

Estimated moderate to hard, roughly 120–300 mg/L from volcanic groundwater aquifers, though official published measurements are limited..

No. Most Salvadorans use filters or buy bottled water. Even ANDA’s own leadership has acknowledged the water is not recommended for direct drinking.

• •Drink only bottled or filtered water, which is widely available and affordable
• •Brush teeth with bottled water
• •CDC recommends typhoid and hepatitis A vaccines before travel to El Salvador

• •Drink only bottled or properly filtered water
• •Use bottled water for brushing teeth
• •Avoid ice and raw produce washed in tap water