Objective To understand the sanitary status of municipal drinking-water supplies in Xiamen, to provide scientific basis for the protection of the quality of drinking-water and health in residents.

Method The results of finished water, terminal piped-water from centralized water supplies, and tap water from secondary water supplies in Xiamen City in 2013-2015 were evaluated according to the national standards.

Results A total of 1 494 samples collected were examined. In which, 1 196 samples were qualified with a qualification rate of 80.05%. The qualification rates of finished water, terminal piped-water from centralized water supplies, and tap water from secondary water supplies were 100%, 81.79% and 75.83% respectively. The unqualified indexes were mainly concentrated on free residual chlorine, total counts of bacteria, turbidity, iron, and total coliforms.

Conclusion The sanitary quality of municipal water supplies of Xiamen should be improved, and the supervision should be further strengthened.