Portage Public Water Supply

Everything the utility's 2025 Water Quality Report lists as detected, each level shown against the limit the report measures it by. Detected doesn't mean dangerous: most readings sit well below their limits, and the tier on each row says how Hearth reads it.

• CopperWorth knowing
  0.7 ppm / 1.3 ppm limit

  Copper, like lead, comes from corrosion of household plumbing rather than the water source. Short-term exposure to elevated copper can cause stomach upset; long-term exposure can affect liver and kidney function in people with copper-sensitive conditions like Wilson's disease. The same flushing and filtration steps that address lead generally address copper too — copper is comparatively easier to remove and most household carbon filters handle it.

  EPA reference →
• LeadWorth knowing
  2 ppb / 15 ppb limit

  Lead enters drinking water primarily from corrosion of older household plumbing and lead service lines, not from the water source itself. There is no known safe level of lead exposure — the federal action level is the threshold at which a utility must take corrective steps, not a target. Most exposure happens at the tap, so flushing water that's sat in pipes overnight before drinking is the simplest mitigation, and a tap filter certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for lead removes more than 99% of remaining lead.

  EPA reference →
• PFAS — the “forever chemicals”Worth knowing

  PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — are a large family of synthetic 'forever chemicals' that don't break down in the environment or the body and accumulate over time. They come from industrial discharge, firefighting foam, and stain- and water-resistant treatments. EPA finalized enforceable limits in 2024 for several of them, with some individual compounds set as low as 4 parts per trillion and a 2029 compliance deadline. Because those limits are so low and the health concerns — developmental, immune, and cancer effects — attach to long-term accumulation, any detected level is worth knowing about, even well under the limit. A carbon-block filter certified to NSF P473, or reverse osmosis, removes them; ordinary carafe pitchers are unreliable for PFAS.

  • PFBS

    7.7 ppt
  • PFHxS

    5 ppt
  EPA reference →
• Total TrihalomethanesContext
  42 ppb / 80 ppb limit

  Trihalomethanes form when the chlorine a utility uses to disinfect reacts with naturally occurring organic matter in the water. They're a near-universal tradeoff of safe, disinfected tap water — the federal limit balances disinfection-byproduct risk against the much larger risk of waterborne disease. A carbon filter removes them readily; counterintuitively, boiling concentrates them rather than removing them.

  EPA reference →
• Haloacetic AcidsContext
  23 ppb / 60 ppb limit

  Haloacetic acids are the second regulated family of disinfection byproducts, formed the same way as trihalomethanes — chlorine reacting with organic matter. Like TTHMs they're a byproduct of the disinfection that makes tap water safe, removed effectively by carbon filtration and concentrated rather than removed by boiling.

  EPA reference →
• ArsenicContext
  3 ppb / 10 ppb limit

  Arsenic occurs naturally in many rock formations and enters groundwater as it dissolves — so it's primarily a concern for groundwater systems and private wells. Long-term exposure is linked to several cancers and cardiovascular effects. Carbon filters only partially address it; reverse osmosis or distillation is the reliable household treatment.

  EPA reference →
• NitrateContext
  2.3 ppm / 10 ppm limit

  Nitrate enters water mainly from fertilizer runoff, septic systems, and animal waste, so it tends to be elevated in agricultural areas. It's the one common contaminant with an acute rather than cumulative risk: high nitrate is dangerous for infants under six months ('blue baby syndrome'). Carbon filters do not remove it — reverse osmosis, distillation, or a nitrate-selective ion-exchange unit is required.

  EPA reference →
• FluorideContext
  0.82 ppm / 4 ppm limit

  Most utilities add fluoride deliberately, targeting roughly 0.7 mg/L for dental health — so a detected level in that range is intentional, not contamination. The federal MCL of 4 mg/L guards against the skeletal effects of much higher long-term exposure. Removing fluoride is a personal/values choice rather than a safety necessity at typical added levels, and it requires reverse osmosis or distillation; carbon filters don't touch it.

  EPA reference →
• ChlorineContext
  0.31 ppm / 4 ppm limit

  Chlorine — and chloramine, a longer-lasting chlorine-and-ammonia blend many utilities use — is the disinfectant added to kill bacteria and viruses. A residual detected at your tap is intentional: it's what keeps the water safe all the way from the plant to your home, and the federal limit caps how much may remain. At normal levels it's a safety feature, not a contaminant. If you dislike the taste or smell, an activated-carbon filter (a pitcher or under-sink unit) removes it readily — chloramine just needs a bit more carbon contact time than free chlorine.

  EPA reference →
• UraniumContext
  0.3 ppb / 30 ppb limit

  Uranium occurs naturally in granitic and sedimentary rock and dissolves into groundwater — a concern chiefly for groundwater systems and private wells. The health concern is kidney toxicity from the metal itself more than radioactivity at typical levels. Reverse osmosis, ion exchange, and distillation remove it.

  EPA reference →
• SodiumContext
  75 ppm

  Sodium reaches drinking water from natural mineral deposits, road-salt runoff, and water-softening. There is no federal limit — EPA offers only advisory guidance, suggesting people on physician-directed very-low-sodium diets know their water's level (tap water is a minor sodium source next to food for everyone else). Reverse osmosis or distillation reduces it; a standard carbon filter does not.

  EPA reference →

2 more measured parameters appear in the report. Hearth lists a contaminant by name only once it's in our reviewed reference, so nothing here depends on how an uploaded document happens to be worded.

Personalized to the 2025 report's detected contaminants (highlighted below). Cell shading shows how effective each technology is — the point is which single setup gives the most coverage per dollar, not the longest shopping list. A carbon block + reverse osmosis together cover what's detected in 2025.

• Full removal (NSF certified)
• Partial / variable
• Unreliable
• Detected in Portage's water

Certifications matter more than brand: a $20 pitcher and a $400 under-sink unit can both say “carbon filter.” The NSF/ANSI standards — 53 for lead and VOCs, 58 for reverse osmosis, P473 for PFAS — mean the unit was actually tested against those contaminants. Look products up in NSF's official certified-product database — Hearth doesn't sell filters or earn commissions on them.