We read 16 results from City of Salem’s 2025 water quality report. No results over a legal limit; 3 above a health goal or guideline.
Serves about 25,643 people · Water system ID VA2775300 · Read the district’s 2025 report (opens in a new tab)
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Results from the 2025 report
Each number is copied from the district’s report and links to the page it’s printed on. Where the report lists several plants, wells or purchased water, the highest is shown.
| Contaminant | Result | Health goal | Legal limit | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross alpha (radioactivity)as reported · listed as a violation in the report · sampled 2023 · Treatment plant · 2025 report, page 3 | 0.96 pCi/L | 0 pCi/L | 15 pCi/L | Above the health goalThe health goal is zero |
| Lead90th percentile of 30 homes tested, 0 over the action level · listed as a violation in the report · Customer taps · 2025 report, page 4 | 3.1 ppb | 0.2 ppb | 15 ppb (action level) | Above the health goal16x the health goal |
| Radium (combined 226 + 228)as reported · listed as a violation in the report · sampled 2023 · Treatment plant · 2025 report, page 3 | 0.53 pCi/L | 0 pCi/L | 5 pCi/L | Above the health goalThe health goal is zero |
| Bariumas reported · listed as a violation in the report · Treatment plant · 2025 report, page 3 | 0.04 ppm | 2 ppm | 2 ppm | Below the health goal |
| Chlorideas reported · Treatment plant · 2025 report, page 4 | 13.6 ppm | — | 250 ppm guideline | Within the guideline |
| Chlorinehighest running annual average · listed as a violation in the report · Distribution system · 2025 report, page 3 | 1.1 ppm | None set | 4 ppm | Below the legal limit |
| Chromium (total)as reported · listed as a violation in the report · printed as 0.0013 ppm · Treatment plant · 2025 report, page 3 | 1.3 ppb | None set | 100 ppb | Below the legal limit |
| Copper90th percentile of 30 homes tested, 0 over the action level · listed as a violation in the report · Customer taps · 2025 report, page 4 | 0.06 ppm | 0.3 ppm | 1.3 ppm (action level) | Below the health goal |
| Disinfection byproducts (HAA5)highest running annual average · listed as a violation in the report · Distribution system · 2025 report, page 4 | 29 ppb | None set | 60 ppb | Below the legal limit |
| Disinfection byproducts (TTHM)highest running annual average · range 13 to 49 · listed as a violation in the report · Distribution system · 2025 report, page 4 | 33 ppb | None set | 80 ppb | Below the legal limit |
| Fluorideas reported · listed as a violation in the report · Treatment plant · 2025 report, page 3 | 0.57 ppm | 1 ppm | 4 ppm | Below the health goal |
| Nitrate (as N)as reported · listed as a violation in the report · Treatment plant · 2025 report, page 3 | 0.36 ppm | 10 ppm | 10 ppm | Below the health goal |
| Sulfateas reported · Treatment plant · 2025 report, page 4 | 23.2 ppm | — | 250 ppm guideline | Within the guideline |
| Turbidity (cloudiness)highest measured · listed as a violation in the report · Treatment plant · 2025 report, page 3 | 0.06 NTU | None set | 1 NTU | Below the legal limit |
| Uraniumas reported · listed as a violation in the report · sampled 2023 · Treatment plant · 2025 report, page 3 | 0.22 ppb | 0.6 ppb | 30 ppb | Below the health goal |
| Sodiumas reported · listed as a violation in the report · Treatment plant · 2025 report, page 3 | 6.4 ppm | None set | None | No health limit |
Utility results describe the whole system, measured where water enters the pipes, not your tap. Your home’s plumbing can add lead or copper.
What you can do
Nothing here is an emergency notice: if the district has a violation, it must tell customers directly. If you’d like to lower these at your tap, these are the treatments that remove them, and the catalog shows the models certified for each. Ranking is by certified removal; commissions never change the order.
Radium and uranium
Found: Gross alpha (radioactivity), Radium (combined 226 + 228)
What removes it: Reverse osmosis.
Lead
Found: Lead
What removes it: Certified carbon block or RO.
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