Emerald Forest, MO
Lead detected, under the action levels
Latest 90th-percentile lead: 3.9 ppb (monitoring period 2023-2023). The federal action level is 15 ppb today and drops to 10 ppb in Nov 2027; EPA's health goal is 0. Lead was measured in sampled homes but the 90th percentile is under both action levels. EPA's health goal for lead is zero, so test your own tap if your home was built before 1986 or anyone in it is pregnant or a young child.
Who runs the water here
Emerald Forest serves about 180 people through 60 service connections, which makes it a very small system under EPA's size classes. It is privately owned and draws groundwater, in Ellis County, Missouri. EPA system ID: TX0700058; phone on file: 254-355-9124. Call that number and ask whether your address has a lead, galvanized or unknown service line.
Lead results over time
That is down 4.1 ppb from 8 ppb in the period ending 2022. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for Emerald Forest is 8 ppb across 3 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 3.9 ppb |
| 2022 | 8 ppb |
| 2017 | 0 (not detected) |
How Emerald Forest compares
Of the 1,674 Missouri systems with a lead result, the median latest reading is 1.04 ppb; 2 are over 15 ppb right now and 74 have gone over at some point. Emerald Forest's 3.9 ppb sits at the 87th percentile in Missouri and the 87th nationally (higher means more lead).
Neighbouring systems
7 other systems share Ellis County; 0 of them have a higher latest lead result than Emerald Forest. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| Grande Casa | 501 | 2.25 ppb |
| Spanish Grant Subdivision | 444 | 1.6 ppb |
| Red Oak Community Water Service | 321 | 0 (not detected) |
| Lakeview Ranchettes | 309 | 1.92 ppb |
| Lakeview Water System | 216 | 0 (not detected) |
| Chambers Meadow Estate Water | 198 | 3.37 ppb |
| Howard Water Coop | 138 | 0 (not detected) |
Next steps for Saint Louis, MO
Test your own tap with a certified lab first-draw sample; Saint Louis, MO may offer free or low-cost kits through the utility. If your own line is lead, replacing the private side runs about $1,200-$12,300 (EPA average about $4,700). Ask Emerald Forest whether it covers that cost before hiring anyone - many utilities now do.
These figures describe homes the utility sampled, not your tap. Only your service line record or a test of your own water answers the question for your house. Why sampled homes are the worst-case ones is in the guide to reading the number. The action level is dropping - the 10 ppb rule from 2027.