Highland Water Authority, AL
Lead reported as not detected
Latest 90th-percentile lead: reported as 0 (not detected) (monitoring period 2023-2025). The federal action level is 15 ppb today and drops to 10 ppb in Nov 2027; EPA's health goal is 0. The latest 90th-percentile result was reported as 0 (not detected at the lab's limit). That says the sampled homes were low, not that your home has no lead service line. Check your utility's service line inventory for your address.
About Highland Water Authority
Highland Water Authority serves about 4,014 people through 1,338 service connections, which makes it a medium-sized system under EPA's size classes. It is owned by a local government (city, town, county or district) and draws surface water, in Etowah County, Alabama. EPA system ID: AL0000580; phone on file: 205-288-0361. Ask them for your address in their service line inventory - every system had to publish one by Oct 2024.
Highland Water Authority's lead record
Against the period ending 2022 (0 ppb) the latest result is about the same. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for Highland Water Authority is 5 ppb across 4 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2022 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2019 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2016 | 5 ppb |
Against other Alabama systems
Of the 542 Alabama systems with a lead result, the median latest reading is 0 ppb; 1 are over 15 ppb right now and 11 have gone over at some point. Highland Water Authority's reported as 0 (not detected) sits at the 28th percentile in Alabama and the 34th nationally (higher means more lead). Systems reporting 0 tie at the bottom, so the rank mostly reflects size among them.
Other water systems in Etowah County
16 other systems share Etowah County; 7 of them have a higher latest lead result than Highland Water Authority. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| Gadsden, The Wwsb Of The City Of | 44,637 | 2.5 ppb |
| Rainbow City, The Utilities Board Of | 12,633 | 0 (not detected) |
| Southside Water Works And Sewer Board | 12,327 | 1.3 ppb |
| Attalla Water Works Board | 8,403 | 1.4 ppb |
| West Etowah Water & Fire Pro Authority | 6,900 | 0 (not detected) |
| Glencoe Water Works Board | 6,465 | 0 (not detected) |
| Fords Valley & Hwy 278 Water | 5,760 | 0 (not detected) |
| Hokes Bluff Water Board | 5,536 | 0 (not detected) |
| Sardis City Water Board | 5,463 | 1.1 ppb |
| Northeast Etowah County Water Co-Op | 4,380 | 0 (not detected) |
Next steps for Gadsden, AL
Look up your address in Highland Water Authority's service line inventory. If it says lead, galvanized or unknown, test your tap. If your own line is lead, replacing the private side runs about $1,200-$12,300 (EPA average about $4,700). Ask Highland Water Authority 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. A zero today does not rule out a jump later - the rules are tightening in 2027.