Tunkhannock Borough Municipal Authority water quality
Tunkhannock, PA · serves 5,349 people (887 connections) · Groundwater · Local government · EPA ID PA2660014
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 limitPFOS above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOS 6.1 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lithium
- Above screening levelHighest result 153 ppb. EPA uses 10 ppb to decide what to study further. It is not a health limit, and there is no federal limit for lithium. About 1 in 4 systems tested were above it.
- Lead
- Below action level0 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 Tunkhannock Borough Municipal Authority'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 (570) 836-3493. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 4 entry points tested Apr 2023 to Oct 2023. "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 One sample above limit Limit 4 ppt | 2.4 ppt 60% of the limit |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 6.1 ppt 1.53× the limit |
| PFHxS Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| PFNA Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| 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) Not detected Limit 1 | – |
| PFBS Not detected Guideline 2,000 ppt | – |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 4.35 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 5.25 ppt |
Pennsylvania has its own PFAS limits. PFOA 14 ppt (this system's highest average: 2.4 ppt), PFOS 18 ppt (this system's highest average: 6.1 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 PFOS average is higher than at 85% of the Pennsylvania systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 4 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
Detected in 8 of 8 samples. Highest result 153 ppb. EPA's non-enforceable screening level is 10 ppb. Above screening level The screening level is how EPA decides what to study further, not a health limit. There is no federal limit for lithium and no filter is certified to remove it. About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 0 ppb lead (Jun 2025 – Sep 2025). Below action level
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jun 2025 – Sep 2025 | 0 ppb |
| Jun 2022 – Sep 2022 | 0 ppb |
| Jun 2019 – Sep 2019 | 0 ppb |
Earlier results (6)
| Jan 2017 – Jun 2017 | 0 ppb |
| Jul 2016 – Dec 2016 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 1996 – Dec 1996 | 8 ppb |
| Jan 1995 – Dec 1995 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 1994 – Jun 1994 | 7 ppb |
| Jul 1993 – Dec 1993 | 5 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.
Where it serves
Tunkhannock
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 18657
Nearby utilities
- Pawc Pocono District Coolbaugh · 10 mi · PFAS above limit
- Pennsylvania American Water – Ceasetown Bear Creek · 17 mi
- Pennsylvania American Water – Nesbitt Bear Creek · 17 mi
- Pennsylvania American Water – Watres Bear Creek · 17 mi
- Palmerton Municipal Authority Palmerton · 17 mi · PFAS above limit
- Easton Area Water System Bushkill · 19 mi
Questions
Is Tunkhannock Borough Municipal Authority water safe to drink?
Tunkhannock Borough Municipal Authority 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 Tunkhannock Borough Municipal Authority water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Tunkhannock Borough Municipal Authority found 4 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOS: PFOS 6.1 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Tunkhannock Borough Municipal Authority water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Tunkhannock Borough Municipal Authority is 0 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 PA2660014: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID PA2660014).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Tunkhannock Borough Municipal Authority at (570) 836-3493, 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.