Reading Area Water Authority water quality
Reading, PA · serves 95,100 people (28,500 connections) · Surface water · Local government · EPA ID PA3060059
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 above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOA 6.13 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- 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
- Resolved4 health-based violations since 2016, most recently Apr 2025. 3 required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Oct 2018. What to do if you get a notice.
- 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 Reading Area Water 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 (610) 655-6253. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 1 entry point 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 | 6.13 ppt 1.53× the limit |
| PFOS Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| 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) Detected, below limit Limit 1 | 0.0025 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 5.03 ppt |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 4.05 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 4.58 ppt |
| PFHpA Detected, no limit | 0.75 ppt |
Pennsylvania has its own PFAS limits. PFOA 14 ppt (this system's highest average: 6.13 ppt), PFOS 18 ppt (this system's highest average: not detected). 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 87% of the Pennsylvania systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 5 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 4 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 0 ppb lead (Jun 2025 – Sep 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 2 ppb (Sep 2016).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jun 2025 – Sep 2025 | 0 ppb |
| Jun 2022 – Sep 2022 | 0 ppb |
| Jun 2019 – Sep 2019 | 1 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jun 2016 – Sep 2016 | 2 ppb |
| Jun 2013 – Sep 2013 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2012 – Dec 2012 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2011 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2010 – Dec 2010 | 1.2 ppb |
| Jan 2009 – Dec 2009 | 1 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Jun 2008 | 1 ppb |
| Jul 2007 – Dec 2007 | 1 ppb |
| Jan 2007 – Jun 2007 | 2 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
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Apr 2025 | A required step to remove or kill germs (filtration, disinfection or fixing a contaminated well) was not done properly. EPA record: Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule · Treatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) (limit ) Resolved |
| Aug 2016 – Oct 2018 3 times | E. coli was confirmed in the water. E. coli means the water may have been contaminated with sewage or animal waste. Urgent public notice required What that means EPA record: Revised Total Coliform Rule · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, E. coli (RTCR) 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Manganese | 3.37 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.18 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 0.13 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
Where it serves
Reading, Robeson, Exeter, Cumru, Muhlenberg, Wyomissing
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 19508, 19601, 19602, 19603, 19604, 19605, 19606, 19607, 19610, 19611
Nearby utilities
- Pennsylvania American Water – Penn District Reading · same area · PFAS above limit
- Muhlenberg Township Municipal Authority Muhlenberg · 4 mi · PFAS above limit
- Aqua Pennsylvania Flying Hills Water Authority System Robeson · 7 mi · PFAS above limit
- Pennsylvania American Water – Glen Alsace Division Robeson · 7 mi · PFAS above limit
- Pennsylvania American Water – Royersford Richmond · 11 mi · PFAS above limit
- East Cocalico Township Authority West Cocalico · 13 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Reading Area Water Authority water safe to drink?
Reading Area Water Authority had 4 health-based violations 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 Reading Area Water Authority water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Reading Area Water Authority found 5 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA: PFOA 6.13 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Reading Area Water Authority water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Reading Area Water 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 PA3060059: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID PA3060059).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Reading Area Water Authority at (610) 655-6253, 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.