Is Philadelphia, PA tap water safe?
Supplied by Philadelphia Water Department · serves 1.6 million people (524,021 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID PA1510001
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Summary
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 7.35 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, PFOS 5.05 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Below action level2 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
- None health-basedNo health-based violations since 2016.
- 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.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read Philadelphia Water Department's 2026 water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (215) 685-6257.
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 |
|---|---|
| PFOA Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 7.35 ppt 1.84× the limit |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 5.05 ppt 1.26× the limit |
| PFHxS Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| PFNA Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 1.13 ppt 11% of the limit |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Detected, below limit Limit 1 | 0.12 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 5.77 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 3.45 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 6.8 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 7.03 ppt |
| PFHpA Detected, no limit | 1.57 ppt |
What the utility says it is doing: The utility says it is piloting PFAS treatment options at some plants. Its April 2026 update reports Baxter at 0 ppt, while Queen Lane (PFOA 6.8, PFOS 4.6 ppt) and Belmont (PFOA 5.6 ppt) remain above the 4 ppt EPA limit.
Source: PFAS Management - Philadelphia Water Department, 2026-04-13. Collected by us on Nov 14, 2026, not from EPA's data. Ask the utility for the latest.
Pennsylvania has its own PFAS limits. PFOA 14 ppt (this system's highest average: 7.35 ppt), PFOS 18 ppt (this system's highest average: 5.05 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 91% of the Pennsylvania systems EPA tested and the PFOS average is higher than at 82% of the Pennsylvania systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 8 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 12 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 2 ppb lead (Jun 2025 – Sep 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 3 ppb (Sep 2019).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jun 2025 – Sep 2025 | 2 ppb |
| Jun 2022 – Sep 2022 | 2 ppb |
| Jun 2019 – Sep 2019 | 3 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jun 2014 – Sep 2014 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2011 | 5.8 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2005 | 9.4 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2002 | 13 ppb |
| Jan 1999 – Dec 1999 | 9 ppb |
| Jan 1998 – Dec 1998 | 11 ppb |
| Jul 1997 – Dec 1997 | 10 ppb |
| Jul 1992 – Dec 1992 | 15 ppb |
| Jan 1992 – Jun 1992 | 22 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 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Manganese | 15.2 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.21 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chlorate | 503 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.75 ppb | – |
| Molybdenum | 1.4 ppb | 40 ppb |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.23 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
Where it serves
Philadelphia
48 ZIP codes the system reported serving
19102, 19103, 19104, 19106, 19107, 19111, 19112, 19113, 19114, 19115, 19116, 19118, 19119, 19120, 19121, 19122, 19123, 19124, 19125, 19126, 19127, 19128, 19129, 19130, 19131, 19132, 19133, 19134, 19135, 19136, 19137, 19138, 19139, 19140, 19141, 19142, 19143, 19144, 19145, 19146, 19147, 19148, 19149, 19150, 19151, 19152, 19153, 19154
Nearby utilities
- Ambler Borough Water Dept Ambler · 11 mi · PFAS above limit
- Aqua Pennsylvania Bensalem Bensalem · 12 mi · PFAS above limit
- Aqua Pennsylvania Chalfont Bensalem · 12 mi · PFAS above limit
- Aqua Pennsylvania Hatboro Horsham · 13 mi · PFAS above limit
- Horsham Water&sewer Authority Horsham · 13 mi · PFAS above limit
- Pennsylvania American Water – Norristown Norristown · 13 mi
Questions
Is Philadelphia tap water safe to drink?
Most of Philadelphia gets its water from Philadelphia Water Department. Philadelphia Water Department has no health-based violations since 2016. 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 Philadelphia water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Philadelphia Water Department found 8 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA and PFOS: PFOA 7.35 ppt, PFOS 5.05 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Philadelphia water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Philadelphia Water Department is 2 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 PA1510001: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID PA1510001).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- Philadelphia Water Department's 2026 water quality report: the utility's own annual report, including contaminants EPA's national database doesn't carry (link checked Nov 14, 2026). Phone: (215) 685-6257.
- Philadelphia Water Department website
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.