Provo, Utah
Provo Water Quality
Mountain springs and deep wells, hard enough to leave scale, and a new treatment plant on the way. Here is what Provo City's 2025 report shows.
Springs + deep wells · hardness 10–15 gpg · lead 90th pct 4.3 ppb · TDS 180–376 ppm · keep pressure under 75 PSI.
The short answer
Provo's water comes mainly from mountain springs and deep wells, with some treated water from the Don A. Christiansen Regional Water Treatment Plant. The city describes it as moderately hard, typically 10 to 15 grains per gallon — enough to leave scale on fixtures and water heaters.
Lead was 4.3 ppb at the 90th percentile, under the 15 ppb action level, but two homes sampled were over it (highest 19.9 ppb). No E. coli was found in 2025.
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Tell us your Provo address. We confirm coverage first, then schedule a licensed technician to test at your tap — no charge, no obligation.
What filtration does — and does not
Hardness is a softener problem; lead from household plumbing and taste are a filtration problem. Provo has some of each.
Where Provo water comes from
Sources named in Provo City's Water Report 2025, covering testing from December 2024 to December 2025.
Mountain springs
Springs flowing from Paleozoic limestone and quartzite. The city's source assessment rates them mildly susceptible to contamination.
Deep wells
Wells drawing from sand and gravel aquifers, also rated mildly susceptible. Provo also runs an Aquifer Storage and Recovery program.
Regional surface water
Treated water from the Don A. Christiansen Regional Water Treatment Plant. Provo is also building the Rock Canyon Water Treatment Plant to treat up to 30 million gallons a day of Provo River water.
What the 2025 data actually says
Limits are fixed. Results are system figures from the utility's tables, not a reading at your tap.
Moderately hard: 10–15 gpg
Provo describes its water as moderately hard, typically 10 to 15 grains per gallon. Dissolved solids ranged from 180 to 376 ppm.
Lead: 90th percentile 4.3 ppb
The 90th-percentile result was 4.3 ppb against the 15 ppb action level, with a range of 0–19.9 ppb and 2 sites over the action level. Copper's 90th percentile was 0.158 ppm.
Disinfection byproducts
TTHM ranged from 1.88 to 15.58 ppb in Provo's system and up to 54.1 in regional plant water (limit 80). HAA5 ranged from 0 to 9.71, and up to 34.1 from the regional plant (limit 60).
Arsenic and nitrate
Arsenic ranged from 0 to 0.8 ppb in Provo sources and up to 5.7 ppb in regional plant water (limit 10). Nitrate was 0 to 0.296 ppm (limit 10).
Sodium and sulfate
Sodium ranged from 4.2 to 15.2 ppm and sulfate from 11.1 to 58.7 ppm. Fluoride was 0 to 0.101 ppm.
Bacteria
One sample tested positive for total coliform during the year. No E. coli was detected.
Provo next to Salt Lake City and Flagstaff
Up the Wasatch Front, Salt Lake City relies mostly on canyon streams, with hardness from 8 to more than 33 grains per gallon depending on the source and season. Provo leans on springs and wells and reports a steadier 10 to 15.
Flagstaff is another high-elevation Western city that mixes surface water and groundwater, with its own report and its own numbers.
Where these figures come from
Everything on this page traces to Provo City's Water Report 2025, covering testing from December 2024 to December 2025.
- Provo City — Water Report 2025 (PDF)
- Service line inventory and lead information: provo.org/leadandcopper. Water questions: 801-852-6782.
Matching treatment to the finding
Hardness is the usual reason Provo homeowners add treatment.
Softening for scale
At 10 to 15 grains per gallon, a softener sized from a test at your tap protects water heaters, fixtures and dishwashers from scale.
Lead-certified filter at the tap
Two homes sampled were over the lead action level. A filter certified for lead at the kitchen tap covers plumbing inside the house.
RO for drinking water
Reverse osmosis reduces dissolved solids (up to 376 ppm) and improves taste at the kitchen tap.
Mind the pressure
Provo advises keeping household pressure below 75 PSI with a pressure-reducing valve. A technician checks it when installing treatment equipment.
How the free test works
A licensed technician tests at your kitchen tap, walks the plumbing, and tells you which of the findings above applies to your house and which does not. There is no charge and no obligation.
Seamless Home is the licensed contractor of record on the work that follows. Installation is performed by vetted installing partners engaged as our subcontractors, and the workmanship obligation stays with us. Coverage is confirmed per service area rather than promised as blanket availability.
What a water treatment job with us covers
Installation and replacement of whole-home and point-of-use treatment, specified against what your water actually contains.
Sediment filtration
Installation of the first stage that protects everything downstream of it, sized to the service line and the household draw.
Softening
Installation of ion-exchange softening where hardness is the problem, including the drain connection the plumbing code treats as indirect waste.
Carbon filtration
Installation of carbon stages for taste, odour and disinfection by-products, specified from your utility's own water quality report.
Reverse osmosis
Point-of-use installation at the kitchen sink where the target is dissolved solids rather than whole-home flow.
Disinfection
Installation of UV or equivalent treatment where the supply is a private well or is otherwise not continuously disinfected.
System replacement
Replacing equipment that has reached the end of its service life, including the discharge and air gap details an inspector looks at.
This is installation and replacement work, specified from a published water quality report or a test of your supply — not from a sales chart. Coverage is confirmed per service area rather than promised as blanket availability.
What the work actually looks like
Treatment equipment is plumbing. Most of the job is the connection, the drain and the code detail behind it.
Provo water, answered plainly
Where does Provo get its water?+
From mountain springs and deep wells, plus treated water from the Don A. Christiansen Regional Water Treatment Plant. Provo is also building the Rock Canyon Water Treatment Plant to treat Provo River water.
Is Provo water hard?+
Yes. Provo's 2025 report describes it as moderately hard, typically 10 to 15 grains per gallon.
Is there lead in Provo water?+
The 90th-percentile lead result was 4.3 ppb, under the 15 ppb action level, but two sampled sites were over it, with a highest result of 19.9 ppb. Lead usually comes from service lines or plumbing at a home, so a tap test tells you about yours.
What water pressure should my Provo home have?+
Provo advises keeping household pressure below 75 PSI and recommends a pressure-reducing valve to do it.
How do I check my service line?+
Provo publishes service line and lead information at provo.org/leadandcopper. Water questions go to 801-852-6782.
Where do these figures come from?+
From Provo City's Water Report 2025. Third-party aggregators are not used.
Related resources
Home water purification and treatment
The national service page behind this one.
Learn more →Salt Lake City water quality
Canyon streams, summer wells and hardness by source.
Learn more →Flagstaff water quality
A seasonal mix of Upper Lake Mary, springs and wells.
Learn more →Where a water softener can discharge
What to check before installing a softener.
Learn more →All home services
Water, battery, HVAC and solar under one licensed contractor of record.
Learn more →Get a free test at your tap
A licensed technician tests at your kitchen tap and tells you which findings apply to your house — hardness, lead from plumbing, or dissolved solids. No charge, no obligation, and coverage confirmed at your address first.
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