Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

STATE

Pennsylvania

CONTAMINANTS

123

serves

11,354,000

data

2013-2024

UTILITIES

1,884

Overview

EWG's drinking water quality report for Pennsylvania shows results of tests conducted by the water utilities in Pennsylvania and provided to EWG by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

LARGE UTILITIES
ALL UTILITIES WITH VIOLATIONS
LARGE UTILITIES WITH VIOLATIONS

Large utilities in Pennsylvania

Below are utilities in Pennsylvania serving over 10,000 people, listed alphabetically.

UtilityLocationPeople Served
Altoona Water AuthorityAltoona, PA62,500
Ambler Boro Water DeptAmbler, PA20,000
Ambridge Water AuthorityAmbridge, PA19,500
Aqua Pa BensalemBryn Mawr, PA44,543
Aqua Pa BristolBryn Mawr, PA28,728
Aqua Pa HatboroBryn Mawr, PA12,901
Aqua Pa Roaring Creek DivisionShamokin, PA43,000
Aqua Pa Shenango Valley WTPSharon, PA48,000
Aqua Pa Susquehanna DivisionSayre, PA15,569
Aqua Pa UwchlanBryn Mawr, PA32,200
Aqua Pa West ChesterBryn Mawr, PA33,918
Aqua Pennsylvania Main SystemBryn Mawr, PA747,460
Authority of Boro of CharleroiCharleroi, PA26,330
Bcwsa Main Lower SouthWarrington, PA52,621
Bear Valley Joint AuthoritySt Thomas, PA12,000
Beaver Falls Municipal AuthorityBeaver Falls, PA50,000
Boro of WaynesboroWaynesboro, PA13,200
Bradford City Water AuthorityBradford, PA18,500
Brodhead Creek Reg Water AuthorityEast Stroudsburg, PA30,000
Capital Region WaterHarrisburg, PA66,540
Carlisle Water Trmt PltCarlisle, PA26,000
Center Twp Water AuthorityAliquippa, PA19,000
Chambersburg Boro Water SysChambersburg, PA31,048
Chester Water AuthorityChester, PA140,437
City of BethlehemBethlehem, PA117,259
City of LancasterLancaster, PA120,000
Clearfield Municipal AuthorityClearfield, PA14,000
Columbia Water CompanyColumbia, PA25,200
Cranberry Twp WTPCranberry Twp, PA42,000
Creswell Heights Jt AuthoritySouth Heights, PA15,000
Dallastown Yoe Water AuthorityDallastown, PA12,300
Dover Township Water SysDover, PA21,097
E Stroudsburg Boro Water DeptEast Stroudsburg, PA13,000
East Hempfield Water AuthorityLandisville, PA20,988
Easton Area Water SystemEaston, PA96,867
Elizabethtown Area WaterElizabethtown, PA19,000
Emmaus Borough Public WaterEmmaus, PA14,000
Ephrata Area Joint AuthorityEphrata, PA24,500
Erie City Water AuthorityErie, PA220,001
Falls Twp Water & Sewer DeptFairless Hills, PA24,400
Findlay Township Municipal AuthorityClinton, PA11,460
Fox Chapel AuthorityPittsburgh, PA18,500
Gettysburg Municipal AuthorityGettysburg, PA12,425
Greater Johnstown Wa RiversideJohnstown, PA49,500
Guilford Water AuthorityChambersburg, PA28,135
Hampton Shaler Water AuthorityAllison Park, PA61,949
Hanover Municipal Water WorksHanover, PA40,900
Harrison Twp Water AuthorityNatrona Heights, PA13,411
Hca Roan Filter PlantHazleton, PA45,000
Highland S & W Authority BeaverdamJohnstown, PA23,734
Highridge Water AuthorityBlairsville, PA16,000
Horsham Water&sewer AuthorityHorsham, PA25,000
Huntingdon Boro Water DeptHuntingdon, PA13,776
Kutztown Borough WaterKutztown, PA14,200
Latrobe Municipal AuthorityLatrobe, PA30,000
Lca Wlsa Central DivisionAllentown, PA47,693
Lebanon Water AuthorityLebanon, PA57,000
Lehigh County Authority Allentown DivisionAllentown, PA118,000
Lewistown Boro Municipal AuthorityLewistown, PA26,765
Lower Bucks County Joint Municipal AuthorityLevittown, PA63,007
Meadville Area Water AuthorityMeadville, PA17,339
Monroeville Municipal AuthorityMonroeville, PA48,500
Moon Twp Municipal AuthorityMoon Township, PA38,000
Morrisville Munic AuthorityMorrisville, PA13,342
Mt Penn Boro Municipal AuthorityReading, PA10,400
Mt. Joy Boro AuthorityMount Joy, PA14,150
Muhlenberg Twp Municipal AuthorityReading, PA21,000
Mun Water Authority of AliquippaAliquippa, PA14,250
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County - Sweeney Water Treatment PlantGreensburg, PA150,000
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County - Yough PlantGreensburg, PA140,000
Municipal Authority SunburySunbury, PA11,043
New Kensington Municipal AuthorityNew Kensington, PA47,800
Newtown Artesian Water CompanyNewtown, PA38,500
North Fayette Cnty Municipal AuthorityDunbar, PA35,409
North Penn Water AuthorityLansdale, PA91,941
North Wales Water AuthorityNorth Wales, PA72,496
Northampton Boro Municipal AuthorityNorthampton, PA40,000
Northampton Bucks County Municipal AuthorityRichboro, PA36,750
Oakmont Water AuthorityOakmont, PA39,901
Oil CityOil City, PA10,564
Pa Amer Water PhilipsburgPhilipsburg, PA20,095
Pa-american Water Co-connellsvUniontown, PA11,425
Pa-american Water- UniontownUniontown, PA23,125
Pa-american Water-brownsvilleMcmurry, PA15,817
Paw Blue Mountain DivisionClarks Summit, PA23,763
Paw Glen Alsace DivMechanicsburg, PA24,951
Paw Penn DistrictMechanicsburg, PA28,508
Pawc BrownellWilkes Barre, PA12,560
Pawc CeasetownScranton, PA58,467
Pawc HuntsvilleScranton, PA11,987
Pawc NesbittScranton, PA52,640
Pawc Pocono DistrictTobyhanna, PA17,860
Pawc WatresScranton, PA52,002
Penn State Univ.University Park, PA37,000
Pennsylvania American CoatesvilleCoatesville, PA36,960
Pennsylvania American NorristownNorristown, PA88,885
Pennsylvania American RoyersfordSpring City, PA48,253
Pennsylvania American Water BerwickMilton, PA15,282
Pennsylvania American Water Company - HersheyHummelstown, PA50,200
Pennsylvania American Water Company - Indiana DNew Castle, PA22,360
Pennsylvania American Water Company - MechanicsburgMechanicsburg, PA93,368
Pennsylvania American Water Company ButlerNew Castle, PA43,286
Pennsylvania American Water Company ClarionNew Castle, PA16,600
Pennsylvania American Water Company Ellwood CtyNew Castle, PA17,200
Pennsylvania American Water Company New CastleNew Castle, PA43,279
Pennsylvania American Water Company WarrenWarren, PA14,650
Pennsylvania American Water Company YardleyYardley, PA33,171
Pennsylvania American Water Lake ScrantonWilkes Barre, PA134,570
Pennsylvania American Water PittsburghMcmurray, PA686,000
Pennsylvania American White DeerMilton, PA30,209
Perkasie Regional AuthoritySellersville, PA15,000
Philadelphia Water DepartmentPhiladelphia, PA1,600,000
Phoenixville Water DeptPhoenixville, PA16,599
Pittsburgh Water & Sewer AuthorityPittsburgh, PA520,000
Plum Boro Municipal AuthorityPittsburgh, PA27,500
Pottstown Borough Water AuthorityPottstown, PA36,000
Quakertown BoroQuakertown, PA12,800
Reading Area Water AuthorityReading, PA87,000
Red LionRed Lion, PA15,882
Richland Township Water AuthorityGibsonia, PA10,190
Robinson Twp Municipal AuthorityPittsburgh, PA16,354
Schuylkill County. Municipal AuthorityPottsville, PA31,850
Shillington Municipal AuthorityReading, PA11,709
Shippensburg Boro Water AuthorityShippensburg, PA17,800
Slippery Rock Municipal AuthoritySlippery Rock, PA15,778
South Middleton Twp Water AuthorityBoiling Springs, PA10,068
Southwestern Pennsylvania Water AuthorityRices Landing, PA40,000
St Marys Area Water AuthoritySt Marys, PA19,588
State College Boro Water Auth.State College, PA72,000
Summit Township Water AuthorityErie, PA12,500
Swta - Main SystemAllentown, PA14,500
Tri County Joint Municipal AuthorityFredericktown, PA10,100
United Water Pa Bloomsburg OpBloomsburg, PA29,382
United Water PennsylvaniaHarrisburg, PA110,000
Upper Southampton Mun AuthoritySouthampton, PA16,000
Veolia - Mechanicsburg PennsylvaniaHarrisburg, PA45,013
Warminster Municipal AuthorityWarminster, PA40,000
Warrington Twp Water&sew DeptNorth Wales, PA21,588
Warwick Twp Water & Sewer AuthorityJamison, PA14,699
West Cnty Muni Auth-mckeesportGreensburg, PA32,644
West View Water AuthorityPittsburgh, PA200,000
Western Allegheny County Mun AOakdale, PA19,031
Whitehall Twp AuthorityWhitehall, PA13,063
Wilkinsburg-penn Joint Water AuthorityWilkinsburg, PA125,000
Williamsport Mun Water AuthorityWilliamsport, PA51,000
York Water CompanyYork, PA206,762

Utilities that accumulated/accrued the most violation points as of July 2021 to June 2024 in Pennsylvania

The Environmental Protection Agency's Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) database collects compliance and enforcement-related information for drinking water utilities nationwide. ECHO water quality violation scores take into account federal health-based water quality standards, as well as monitoring, reporting and other drinking water quality requirements. Points are accrued based on specific problems at the utility - violations of health-based drinking water standards receive more points than monitoring and reporting violations - and the length of time until the violations were corrected.

UtilityLocationPeople ServedViolation Points

Large utilities that accumulated/accrued the most violation points as of July 2021 to June 2024 in Pennsylvania

The Environmental Protection Agency's Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) database collects compliance and enforcement-related information for drinking water utilities nationwide. ECHO water quality violation scores take into account federal health-based water quality standards, as well as monitoring, reporting and other drinking water quality requirements. Points are accrued based on specific problems at the utility - violations of health-based drinking water standards receive more points than monitoring and reporting violations - and the length of time until the violations were corrected.

UtilityLocationPeople ServedViolation Points
Lca Wlsa Central DivisionAllentown, PA47,69310
South Middleton Twp Water AuthorityBoiling Springs, PA10,0687
Municipal Authority SunburySunbury, PA11,0434
Emmaus Borough Public WaterEmmaus, PA14,0002
Hanover Municipal Water WorksHanover, PA40,9002
Northampton Bucks County Municipal AuthorityRichboro, PA36,7502
North Fayette Cnty Municipal AuthorityDunbar, PA35,4092
Wilkinsburg-penn Joint Water AuthorityWilkinsburg, PA125,0001
Hca Roan Filter PlantHazleton, PA45,0001
Carlisle Water Trmt PltCarlisle, PA26,0001
Warrington Twp Water&sew DeptNorth Wales, PA21,5881
East Hempfield Water AuthorityLandisville, PA20,9881
Bradford City Water AuthorityBradford, PA18,5001
Meadville Area Water AuthorityMeadville, PA17,3391
Phoenixville Water DeptPhoenixville, PA16,5991
Robinson Twp Municipal AuthorityPittsburgh, PA16,3541
Highridge Water AuthorityBlairsville, PA16,0001
Red LionRed Lion, PA15,8821

Contaminants found in Pennsylvania above health guidelines

Found above health guidelines Found
Contaminant # of Utilities People Served # of Utilities People Served
Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs)1,48011,248,8341,49011,256,786
Bromodichloromethane1,33611,206,4641,33911,208,354
Chloroform1,18010,990,1881,35911,184,495
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)1,06610,946,4141,07310,979,937
Dichloroacetic acid95210,782,6621,00310,885,067
Trichloroacetic acid76210,505,63177510,547,982
Dibromochloromethane1,25010,493,8131,30711,119,256
Haloacetic acids (HAA9)2659,647,8812659,647,881
Nitrate1,0758,934,1251,2659,692,271
Chromium (hexavalent)2118,653,6072569,515,051
Dibromoacetic acid6588,044,4646878,647,447
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)1464,424,3121474,496,312
Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)1253,938,4501384,120,703
Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)282,704,491282,704,491
Radium, combined (-226 & -228)2762,135,6272952,360,912
Perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHXS)861,815,968861,815,968
Arsenic3661,736,6323661,736,632
Tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene)371,161,380561,410,925
Bromoform285780,0636977,453,630
1,2,3-Trichloropropane2760,3612760,361
Uranium, combined (pCi/L)197588,6963492,031,353
Bromate10213,81910213,819
Cadmium13175,87614183,176
Trichloroethylene9149,065281,065,002
Thallium678,215786,536
1,4-Dioxane356,299915,769,735
6:2 Fluorotelomer Sulfonic Acid (6:2 FTSA)327,046475,546
Chlorate325,1702037,853,048
6:2 Fluorotelomer sulfonate (6:2FTS)125,000125,000
Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA)320,629320,629
Carbon tetrachloride318,598545,098
8:2 Fluorotelomer Sulfonic Acid (8:2 FTSA)215,046215,046
Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA)215,046215,046
Radon214,000214,000
Nitrate & nitrite24,69424,694
Barium84,1741,4158,807,030
Heptachlor13,70023,751
Antimony32,926532,613,163
Atrazine22,588341,076,148
Manganese82,0153159,170,556
Simazine11,890471,781
Vinyl chloride31,18146,985
1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP)246651,631
2,3,7,8-TCDD (Dioxin)11961196
Beryllium173173

Contaminants found in Pennsylvania above legal limits

What filter type is right for you?

Water
Contaminants

view utility

Carbon Filters

Can reduce the levels of many common contaminants.

pros

  • Lower upfront cost
  • Reduced maintenance

cons

  • Does not remove all contaminants

Reverse Osmosis

Most effective at reducing contaminants.

pros

  • Most effective

cons

  • Higher upfront cost
  • Requires more maintenance
  • Wastes water

Other Considerations

Ion Exchange

Pros: Softens hard water, Reduces some contaminants

Cons: Doesn't remove all contaminants

Whole-House Filters

Pros: Useful for reducing radiologicals and TCE

Cons: Expensive to install and maintain, Risk of bacterial contamination

Distillation

Pros: Removes heavy metals and harmful microbes

Cons: Does not reduce most contaminants

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