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Not health advice. Contact your local water utility for concerns.
Data from EPA Water Quality Reports. For official information, contact your water utility or health department.
Side-by-side EPA records for the two public water systems · EPA SDWIS/ECHO 2026Q2 · UCMR5 (2023–2026, July 2026 release) · SYR4 six-year review 2012–2019 · methodology
Baton Rouge has the better EPA record — grade A (100/100) vs grade F (58/100).
NEW ORLEANS CARROLLTON WATER WORKS · serves 334,903
BATON ROUGE WATER COMPANY · serves 596,844
| Metric | New Orleans | Baton Rouge |
|---|---|---|
| Grade / score | F · 58/100 | A · 100/100 |
| Health-based EPA violations, last 5 yrs | 1 | 0 |
| Health-based violations unresolved | 0 | 0 |
| Monitoring / reporting violations, last 5 yrs | 3 | 0 |
| Lead 90th percentile (action level 15 ppb) | 6 ppb (2023–2025) | 1 ppb (2023–2025) |
| PFAS detected (UCMR5 2023–2026) | HFPO-DA, PFBA, PFHxA, PFOA, PFOS, PFPeA — PFOA/PFOS ≥ 4 ppt | None detected |
| Primary water source | Surface water | Groundwater |
| Population served | 334,903 | 596,844 |
| EPA PWSID | LA1071009 | LA1033005 |
Green = the better value where the two systems differ. Lead and PFAS figures describe water leaving the plant, not any individual tap.
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Baton Rouge — it scores 100/100 (grade A) against 58/100 (grade F) on EPA records. Baton Rouge has fewer health-based EPA violations in the last five years (0 vs 1)
New Orleans grades F (58/100): 1 health-based EPA violation in the last five years, lead 90th percentile 6 ppb, PFAS detected (HFPO-DA, PFBA, PFHxA, PFOA, PFOS, PFPeA).
Baton Rouge grades A (100/100): no health-based EPA violations in the last five years, lead 90th percentile 1 ppb, no PFAS detected.