Tippecanoe County, Indiana: drinking water report. Tippecanoe County in west-central Indiana has a population of about 195,000, home to Purdue University
Tippecanoe County in west-central Indiana has a population of about 195,000, home to Purdue University in West Lafayette and the city of Lafayette. Indiana American Water serves the area, drawing from wells along the Wabash River corridor. The Wabash River itself drains a vast agricultural watershed covering much of central Indiana, and the alluvial wells that tap the river corridor are influenced by both the river's quality and the overlying land use.
Atrazine and nitrate from the surrounding corn and soybean farms are the primary contaminants of concern. According to the USGS National Water Quality Assessment, the Wabash River consistently ranks among the top rivers in the country for atrazine loading during spring planting season. Indiana American Water's treatment process reduces these to compliant levels, but the raw water carries concentrations that peak sharply during April and May runoff events.
The EPA's UCMR5 data shows PFAS detections in the Lafayette system. The Purdue University Airport has used AFFF firefighting foam, and the university's research operations may contribute trace PFAS through wastewater. A 2024 IDEM assessment found one public water system in the county with PFAS above Indiana's advisory level.
Spring is when agricultural contaminant levels peak in Tippecanoe County. If you notice taste or odor changes in your water during April through June, it likely reflects the treatment system working harder to handle elevated herbicide and nutrient loads.
Check your water for current monitoring data. For agricultural herbicides and disinfection byproducts, an activated carbon filter is effective. For PFAS, upgrade to reverse osmosis. Our water filter guide explains which certifications to look for. Pull your detailed report for seasonal trends, and visit our Indiana page for statewide context.
Drinking water is one exposure route. These federal datasets also cover Tippecanoe County, IN.
The EPA places Tippecanoe County, IN in Zone 1 - the EPA's highest-risk category, where the predicted average indoor radon level is above 4 pCi/L. Zone maps predict an area's radon potential from geology and existing indoor readings; they say nothing about a specific house. Testing is the only way to know your own level.
45% of homes in Tippecanoe County, IN were built before 1980, and 16% before 1950. Residential lead paint was banned in 1978, so housing age is the strongest available proxy for lead-paint exposure. This describes the county's housing stock, not any one home.
Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) in Tippecanoe County, IN averages 8 µg/m³, within the EPA's annual standard of 9 µg/m³. These are CDC modelled county estimates rather than readings from a specific monitor.
How radon zones work · Air quality by county · Lead exposure guide
10 public water systems serving Tippecanoe County, IN have EPA lead testing on record. The reported lead sample skews toward systems that already flagged a problem, so its exceedance rate is not directly comparable with other areas. 2 water systems serving Tippecanoe County, IN carry a health-based EPA Safe Drinking Water Act violation.
| Most-cited violation type | Systems affected |
|---|---|
| Lead and Copper Rule | 1 |
| Ground Water Rule | 1 |
Source: EPA Lead and Copper Rule 90th-percentile tap sampling and EPA SDWIS Safe Drinking Water Act enforcement records, aggregated from the public water systems serving this county. Figures are counts of water systems, not a test of any individual home or tap.