Stanford Water Works, KY
Lead detected, under the action levels
Latest 90th-percentile lead: 1.7 ppb (monitoring period 2024-2026). 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
Stanford Water Works serves about 9,284 people through 3,398 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 Lincoln County, Kentucky. EPA system ID: KY0690417; phone on file: 606-365-4510. They can tell you what your service line is made of and whether they pay to replace it.
Lead results over time
That is up 1.7 ppb from 0 ppb in the period ending 2023. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for Stanford Water Works is 6 ppb across 5 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 1.7 ppb |
| 2023 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2020 | 3 ppb |
| 2017 | 2 ppb |
| 2016 | 6 ppb |
Against other Kentucky systems
Of the 367 Kentucky systems with a lead result, the median latest reading is 0 ppb; 0 are over 15 ppb right now and 4 have gone over at some point. Stanford Water Works's 1.7 ppb sits at the 63rd percentile in Kentucky and the 66th nationally (higher means more lead).
Nearby utilities
3 other systems share Lincoln County; 2 of them have a higher latest lead result than Stanford Water Works. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| Mckinney Water District | 5,423 | 2 ppb |
| Hustonville Water Works | 5,420 | 5 ppb |
| Crab Orchard Water District | 1,488 | 0 (not detected) |
What to do in your house
Test your own tap with a certified lab first-draw sample; Stanford, KY 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 Stanford Water Works 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. Size matters more than most people expect: small vs large water systems.