Pennsylvania American Water – Yardley water quality

Upper Makefield, PA · serves 33,171 people (12,880 connections) · Surface water · Private · EPA ID PA1090074

Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it

Buys water from Newtown Artesian Water Company, Morrisville Municipal Authority. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.

PFAS above the 2024 federal limits. Systems have until 2029 to meet the PFAS limits.

Is it an emergency? No: PFAS limits are about years of exposure, not a glass of water, and nothing in EPA's data calls for you to stop drinking the water today. If your utility ever issues a boil-water or do-not-drink notice, follow it.

PFAS: Above limitPFOA, PFOS above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOA 8.6 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, PFOS 5.95 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
Lead: Below action level1 ppb (parts per billion) at the 90th percentile: 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below it. Action level 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in Nov 2027. Monitoring period ending Sep 2025. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
Violations: Resolved1 health-based violation since 2016, most recently Nov 2018. One required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Nov 2018. What to do if you get a notice.

What you can do

Pregnant, or mixing baby formula with tap water? Babies drink more water for their size, so PFAS exposure matters more for them. Consider bottled water or a filter certified for PFAS for formula, and ask your doctor. Health effects.
To lower your PFAS exposure now, a home filter certified for PFAS reduction works (reverse osmosis, or activated carbon certified to NSF/ANSI 53 or 58). Filters for these results.
Built before 1986, or not sure what your service line is made of? Check your service line and test your tap. Utility data can't show your pipes.
Got a boil-water or do-not-drink notice? What each notice means and what to do.
Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
Read Pennsylvania American Water – Yardley's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report). It lists every regulated contaminant tested and is usually on the utility's website or mailed with your bill, and you can also request it at (215) 493-3346. EPA: how to find it.

PFAS (“forever chemicals”)

EPA UCMR 5: 3 entry points tested Jan 2024 to Oct 2024. "Average" is the highest entry-point average (non-detects counted as zero), the way EPA compares UCMR 5 results to the limits. ppt = parts per trillion. These results do not determine compliance.

Contaminant	Highest average	Highest result	Limit	Status
PFOA Above limit Limit 4 ppt	8.6 ppt 2.15× the limit	9.7 ppt	4 ppt	Above limit
PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt	5.95 ppt 1.49× the limit	6.1 ppt	4 ppt	Above limit
PFHxS Not detected Limit 10 ppt	–	–	10 ppt	Not detected
PFNA Not detected Limit 10 ppt	–	–	10 ppt	Not detected
HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected Limit 10 ppt	–	–	10 ppt	Not detected
Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Detected, below limit Limit 1	0.0021	0.0024	1	Detected, below limit
PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt	4.15 ppt	4.8 ppt	2,000 ppt guideline	Detected, below limit
PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt	2.7 ppt	5.4 ppt	6,000 ppt guideline	Detected, below limit
PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt	3.95 ppt	4.8 ppt	3,000 ppt guideline	Detected, below limit
PFPeA Detected, no limit	4.25 ppt	5.1 ppt	none	Detected, no limit
PFHpA Detected, no limit	1.5 ppt	3 ppt	none	Detected, no limit

Pennsylvania has its own PFAS limits. PFOA 14 ppt (this system's highest average: 8.6 ppt), PFOS 18 ppt (this system's highest average: 5.95 ppt). State compliance is judged on the state's own sampling, so ask the utility or the state program whether it meets them.

For context: the PFOA average is higher than at 93% of the Pennsylvania systems EPA tested and the PFOS average is higher than at 84% of the Pennsylvania systems EPA tested.

29 PFAS tested, 7 detected at least once. "Not detected" means below EPA's reporting limit (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical), not proven zero. PFAS not listed were not detected. The limits for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and the Hazard Index were proposed for rescission in May 2026. That proposal is not final. Systems have until 2029 to meet the limits.

Lithium

Not detected in 8 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.

Lead and copper

Latest 90th percentile: 1 ppb lead (Jun 2025 – Sep 2025). Below action level

Highest since 2016: 6 ppb (Sep 2016).

Monitoring period	Lead (90th pct.)
Jun 2025 – Sep 2025	1 ppb
Jun 2022 – Sep 2022	1 ppb
Jun 2019 – Sep 2019	2.4 ppb

Earlier results (9)

Jun 2016 – Sep 2016	6 ppb
Jun 2013 – Sep 2013	1 ppb
Jan 2010 – Dec 2010	2 ppb
Jan 2007 – Dec 2007	4 ppb
Jan 2004 – Dec 2004	2 ppb
Jan 2001 – Dec 2001	2 ppb
Jan 1998 – Dec 1998	3 ppb
Jan 1995 – Dec 1995	1 ppb
Jan 1994 – Dec 1994	1 ppb

Lead comes from pipes and fixtures, not the source water, so it varies home to home. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 sampled homes were at or below it. More on lead.

Violations

Health-based since 2016

Monitoring/reporting since 2016

Health-based unresolved now

Total ever recorded, incl. paperwork

When	What happened	Status
Nov 2018	The water was cloudier than allowed at least once. Cloudiness can shield germs from disinfection. Urgent public notice required What that means EPA record: Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule · Single Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) (limit ) Resolved	Resolved

Health-based violations mean a contaminant exceeded a limit or a required treatment step was missed. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or reports were late or missing, so the water's quality during that time is unknown. The total includes every violation in EPA's records, most of them paperwork.

Earlier EPA testing (2013–2020)

Contaminant	Highest	Guideline	Detected	Tested
Manganese	13 ppb	300 ppb	6 of 8	UCMR 4 (2020)
Chlorate	380 ppb	210 ppb	6 of 14	UCMR 3 (2015)
Strontium	0.72 ppm	1.5 ppm	14 of 14	UCMR 3 (2015)
Molybdenum	8.1 ppb	40 ppb	3 of 14	UCMR 3 (2015)
Vanadium	1.1 ppb	21 ppb	7 of 14	UCMR 3 (2015)
Chromium-6	0.16 ppb	–	14 of 14	UCMR 3 (2015)
1,4-Dioxane	0.08 ppb	0.35 ppb	1 of 8	UCMR 3 (2015)

Where it serves

Upper Makefield, Middletown, Lower Makefield, Ewing

ZIP codes the system reported serving: 08618, 08628, 18940, 18977, 19047, 19067

Nearby utilities

Newtown Artesian Water Company Upper Makefield · same area · PFAS above limit
Aqua Pennsylvania Main System Northampton · 7 mi · PFAS above limit
Northampton Bucks County Municipal Authority Northampton · 7 mi · PFAS above limit
Upper Southampton Municipal Authority Northampton · 7 mi · PFAS above limit
Warwick Township Water & Sewer Authority Warwick · 9 mi · PFAS above limit
Doylestown Borough Water Dept Doylestown · 11 mi · PFAS above limit

Questions

Is Pennsylvania American Water – Yardley water safe to drink?

Pennsylvania American Water – Yardley had 1 health-based violation since 2016, all since resolved. EPA testing found PFAS above the 2024 federal limits, which systems must meet by 2029. Federal data can't tell you about your own pipes: lead comes from service lines and plumbing, so test your tap if your home was built before 1986. For the official word, read the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report.

Does Pennsylvania American Water – Yardley water have PFAS?

Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Pennsylvania American Water – Yardley found 7 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA and PFOS: PFOA 8.6 ppt, PFOS 5.95 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).

What is the lead level in Pennsylvania American Water – Yardley water?

The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Pennsylvania American Water – Yardley is 1 ppb, for the period ending Sep 2025. The federal action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in November 2027. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below this number. Individual homes can be higher.

Check these numbers yourself

Every figure on this page comes from public EPA records. You don't have to take our word for it:

EPA's own report for PA1090074: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID PA1090074).
EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Pennsylvania American Water – Yardley at (215) 493-3346, or see EPA's guide to finding it.

Found something that doesn't match? Tell us and we'll check it against EPA's records. How we check our data.

Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.