Macon-Bibb County, GA · Macon Water Authority · data through December 2023
Is Macon-Bibb County tap water safe to drink?
Macon-Bibb County's tap water comes from Macon Water Authority, which serves about 130,024 people. Its recent federal data shows no red flags on lead, PFAS or hardness. Bibb County is EPA Radon Zone 3.
Chlorine or chloramine?
Looks fineMacon Water Authority uses free chlorine, according to its own water quality reporting. Free chlorine is the easy case: almost any carbon filter, from a basic pitcher to a shower filter, reduces the taste and smell.
How hard is the water?
We have no published hardness figure for Macon-Bibb County. Macon Water Authority's annual water quality report usually lists it in milligrams per liter or grains per gallon.
Lead and copper
Looks fineIn Macon Water Authority's most recent lead sampling, for the period ending December 2023, 90% of tested homes came in at or below 1.4 ppb of lead. That is low on any of the federal yardsticks.
This is a system-wide statistic, not a reading of your tap. Lead comes from lead service lines, old solder and some brass fixtures inside homes, so two houses on the same street can differ. Testing your own tap costs $15-40, and many utilities test free on request.
EPA's lead action level is 15 parts per billion (ppb) today and drops to 10 ppb in November 2027 under the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements. FDA's limit for bottled water is 5 ppb. EPA's health goal for lead is zero.
PFAS ("forever chemicals")
Macon Water Authority does not appear in EPA's 2023-2025 nationwide PFAS sampling (UCMR 5), or its results are not posted yet.
In April 2024 EPA set enforceable limits of 4 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOA and PFOS, and 10 ppt for PFHxS, PFNA and HFPO-DA (GenX). In May 2025 EPA said it intends to keep the PFOA and PFOS limits, extend the compliance deadline to 2031, and rescind the other three. We compare results to the 2024 limits and label which ones may change.
Health-based violations since 2016
Looks fineMacon Water Authority has no health-based violations on file with EPA since 2016.
Radon
Looks fineMacon-Bibb County is in Bibb County, which EPA places in Radon Zone 3: the predicted average indoor level is below 2 pCi/L.
Zone describes a county average. Individual homes in every zone test high, so EPA recommends testing every home, especially basements and ground floors. Fix at 4 pCi/L or above.
EPA radon zones describe counties, not houses. Zone 1 counties have a predicted average indoor level above 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L), Zone 2 between 2 and 4, Zone 3 below 2. Homes with high levels are found in every zone, which is why EPA recommends that every home be tested, and fixed at 4 pCi/L or above. See every Georgia county's radon zone.
What to do in Macon-Bibb County
Matched to the findings above, most important first.
We may earn a commission from links below, at no cost to you. Recommendations come from the data above, not from who pays. How we make money.
If you rent
No plumbing changes, takes it with you
Filter pitcher
Free chlorine is easy to remove with basic carbon.
The cheapest way to improve taste and odor from chlorine. No installation, renter friendly.
Radon test kit
Bibb County is EPA Radon Zone 3; EPA still recommends testing every home.
A short-term charcoal kit costs about $15-25 and tells you whether you need to go further.
Home water test kit
See what is in your own tap, beyond the utility's averages.
Checks your own tap, which can differ from the utility's system-wide numbers.
If you own
Whole-home fixes that protect the house
Under-sink filter
Free chlorine is easy to remove with basic carbon.
Filters every glass at the kitchen tap, lasts 6-12 months per cartridge, installs in under an hour.
Radon test kit
Bibb County is EPA Radon Zone 3; EPA still recommends testing every home.
A short-term charcoal kit costs about $15-25 and tells you whether you need to go further.
Home water test kit
See what is in your own tap, beyond the utility's averages.
Checks your own tap, which can differ from the utility's system-wide numbers.
Questions people ask about Macon-Bibb County water
Is Macon-Bibb County tap water safe to drink?+
Macon-Bibb County's tap water comes from Macon Water Authority, which serves about 130,024 people. Its recent federal data shows no red flags on lead, PFAS or hardness. Bibb County is EPA Radon Zone 3. For your own home, a tap test is the only reading that reflects your pipes.
Does Macon-Bibb County use chlorine or chloramine?+
Macon Water Authority uses free chlorine, according to its own water quality reporting. Free chlorine is the easy case: almost any carbon filter, from a basic pitcher to a shower filter, reduces the taste and smell.
Is there lead in Macon-Bibb County water?+
In Macon Water Authority's most recent lead sampling, for the period ending December 2023, 90% of tested homes came in at or below 1.4 ppb of lead. That is low on any of the federal yardsticks.
Is radon a problem in Macon-Bibb County?+
Macon-Bibb County is in Bibb County, which EPA places in Radon Zone 3: the predicted average indoor level is below 2 pCi/L. EPA recommends testing every home regardless of zone.
Sources
- Utility: Macon Water Authority, EPA public water system ID GA0210001, serving about 130,024 people. Look it up at EPA.
- Disinfectant: utility water quality reporting.
- Lead, copper, violations and treatment: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), via EPA ECHO, 2026 Q2 export.
- PFAS: EPA Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5), sampling 2023-2025, results released through August 2026.
- Radon: EPA Map of Radon Zones. County: US Census geocoder.
- Hardness data: TapWaterData Water Hardness Dataset (tapwaterdata.com), licensed CC BY 4.0.
- Population: US Census Bureau 2024 population estimates and 2024 Gazetteer (157,056 residents).
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