Bowling Green, KY Water Quality (ZIP 42104)

Quick Answers

Is ZIP 42104 tap water safe to drink? PFAS compounds have been detected in 42104's water at an average of 27.2 ppt across 1 compound. A certified pitcher filter or reverse osmosis system is recommended, especially for sensitive populations.

What filter should I use in 42104? Match the filter to the data: reverse osmosis handles PFAS, lead, and arsenic together; NSF-53 pitchers cover the taps you drink from. A basic Brita pitcher will not remove PFAS.

ZIP 42104 Water Quality Summary

EPA testing has detected PFAS "forever chemicals" in the water system serving ZIP 42104 (Bowling Green, KY). Monitoring found a peak of 27.2 ppt across 1 system, averaging 27.2 ppt over 1 detected compound. These levels come from individual EPA UCMR 5 water samples (2023-2025). The EPA's 4 ppt limit for PFOA and PFOS is enforced on a running annual average, so a sample above it shows real exposure but is not by itself a violation.

Contamination Level: MODERATE – Moderate contamination – PFAS detected at meaningful levels; filtration recommended.

Top Detected Compounds in ZIP 42104

• PFBA: 27.2 ppt (exceeds the EPA 4 ppt limit)

Lead in ZIP 42104 Water

EPA Lead and Copper Rule testing recorded 9 lead samples for the system serving 42104, with a 90th-percentile high of 0.0037 mg/L (within the EPA 0.015 mg/L action level). There is no safe level of lead for children; homes built before 1986 should use a certified NSF/ANSI 53 lead filter.

EPA Violations Affecting ZIP 42104

The water system serving 42104 has 1 health-based EPA Safe Drinking Water Act violation on record, including Haloacetic Acids (HAA5). A health-based violation means a contaminant exceeded its federal limit or required treatment was not applied.

About the Data

These figures come from EPA UCMR5 (2023-2025) plus Lead and Copper Rule and SDWIS records for the public water system serving ZIP 42104. UCMR5 is the most comprehensive national drinking water survey in US history.

Beyond water: other exposures in Bowling Green, KY

Drinking water is one exposure route. These are the other federal datasets that cover ZIP 42104 and Warren County, KY.

Radon risk in Warren County, KY

The EPA places Warren County, KY in Zone 1 - the EPA's highest-risk category, where the predicted average indoor radon level is above 4 pCi/L. Zone maps predict the radon potential of an area from geology and existing indoor readings - they do not describe any individual home. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among people who have never smoked, and the only way to know your own level is a test kit.

Lead paint risk in Warren County, KY

Census figures show 36% of homes in Warren County, KY were built before 1980, and 8% before 1950. Lead-based paint was banned for residential use in 1978, so older housing stock is the strongest available proxy for lead-paint exposure. This is a statistic about the county's housing, not a test of any particular property - if your home predates 1980, a lead swab test is the way to check.

Air quality in Warren County, KY

Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) for Warren County, KY averages 8 µg/m³, within the EPA's annual PM2.5 standard of 9 µg/m³. PM2.5 is the pollution fraction small enough to reach deep into the lungs. These are CDC modelled estimates for the county as a whole, not a reading taken at this ZIP code.

Industrial releases near 42104

EPA Toxics Release Inventory data for 2023 records 3 reporting facilities within about five miles of 42104, together reporting roughly 85,494 pounds of on-site chemical releases that year. TRI covers facilities above federal reporting thresholds, so smaller sources are not included, and a reported release is not the same as a measured concentration in air or water.