Water Quality & Safety

Keeping your water safe for cooking, bathing and other household uses is the Evansville Water and Sewer Utility’s (EWSU’s) top priority. To ensure your water is safe, we:

• Have no lead water main pipes in our system.
• Test drinking water for lead and copper in accordance with Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) guidelines.
• Keep our system updated to prevent corrosive elements like lead or copper from entering your water.

Water Quality Report

To comply with state and federal regulations, the Utility issues an annual report describing the quality of your drinking water. The purpose of the report is to raise your understanding of drinking water and the need to protect your drinking water sources. 

View the latest Water Quality Report. 

Testing Your Water for Lead and Copper

While EWSU’s system does not include any lead water main pipes, EWSU still tests drinking water for lead and copper. The Utility:

• Follows testing guidelines for lead and copper according to Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) guidelines.
• Takes steps in its treatment process to ensure corrosive elements do not result in elevated levels of lead and copper in customer tap water.
• Acknowledges that although water is lead-free when it leaves the treatment plant, lead can be released when the water comes in contact with pipes and plumbing fixtures that contain lead in and around your home.

Testing for Lead

Lead is a naturally occurring element that has some beneficial uses, but it can be toxic to humans and animals. According to IDEM, childhood exposure to unsafe lead levels can cause learning disabilities, decreased growth, hyperactivity, dizziness, clumsiness, impaired hearing, brain damage, paralysis, and convulsions. In pregnant women, lead exposure can pass through the body to the unborn child, resulting in miscarriage or birth defects.

Even though the Utility’s water is treated for contaminants, lead still can enter your drinking water through your building’s own plumbing. The only way to be sure of the amount of lead in your water is to have it tested.

Self Testing

Several major retail stores, such as Lowe’s, Home Depot, Walmart, Menards, etc. sell water analysis kits. You can also have your water tested for lead and copper by contacting a laboratory certified to test for lead in drinking water. See the list of Indiana Certified Drinking Water Chemistry Laboratories. 

EWSU Testing

In addition to testing our drinking water, EWSU regularly tests the lead and copper in water at high-risk homes in accordance with IDEM’s guidelines. Test results for these select homes are consistently below EPA’s requirements. 

Lead Service Brochure

Lead Service Line Testing & Replacement important information for customers.

Still Have Questions?

For more information about the Utility’s water quality, the annual Water Quality Report or testing your water for lead, please call EWSU’s Water Quality Manager at 812-428-0568.