Palmerton Municipal Authority water quality
Palmerton, PA · serves 7,000 people (2,245 connections) · Groundwater · Private · EPA ID PA3130012
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, PFNA, the PFAS Hazard Index above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOA 39.8 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, PFOS 33.8 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, PFNA 18.5 ppt vs a limit of 10 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
- Resolved1 health-based violation since 2016, most recently Jul 2018.
- 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 Palmerton 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 (610) 826-8995. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 2 entry points tested Feb 2025 to Sep 2025. "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 | 39.8 ppt 9.95× the limit |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 33.8 ppt 8.45× the limit |
| PFHxS Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 9.75 ppt 98% of the limit |
| PFNA Above limit Limit 10 ppt | 18.5 ppt 1.85× 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) Above limit Limit 1 | 2.83 |
| PFBS Not detected Guideline 2,000 ppt | – |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 6.35 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 11.1 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 11.5 ppt |
| PFHpA Detected, no limit | 10.3 ppt |
Pennsylvania has its own PFAS limits. PFOA 14 ppt (this system's highest average: 39.8 ppt, above it), PFOS 18 ppt (this system's highest average: 33.8 ppt, above it). 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 99% of the Pennsylvania systems EPA tested, the PFOS average is higher than at 99% of the Pennsylvania systems EPA tested and the PFNA average is higher than at 99% 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 4 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). 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 2024 – Sep 2024 | 0 ppb |
| Jun 2023 – Sep 2023 | 0 ppb |
Earlier results (8)
| Jun 2019 – Sep 2019 | 0 ppb |
| Jun 2016 – Sep 2016 | 0 ppb |
| Jun 2013 – Sep 2013 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2010 – Dec 2010 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2007 – Dec 2007 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2004 – Dec 2004 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2001 – Dec 2001 | 3 ppb |
| Jul 1992 – Dec 1992 | 3.6 ppb |
Copper 90th percentile: 1.45 ppm (Dec 1992), action level 1,300 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 |
|---|---|
| Jul 2018 | A required step to remove or kill germs (filtration, disinfection or fixing a contaminated well) was not done properly. EPA record: Groundwater Rule · Treatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) (limit ) 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.
Where it serves
Palmerton
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 18012, 18071
Nearby utilities
- Whitehall Township Authority Whitehall · 12 mi · PFAS above limit
- Lehigh County Authority – Wlsa Central Division Weisenberg · 15 mi · PFAS above limit
- Easton Area Water System Bushkill · 15 mi
- Lehigh County Authority – Allentown Division Allentown · 16 mi
- Tunkhannock Borough Municipal Authority Tunkhannock · 17 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Bethlehem Bethlehem · 18 mi
Questions
Is Palmerton Municipal Authority water safe to drink?
Palmerton Municipal Authority 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 Palmerton Municipal Authority water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Palmerton Municipal Authority found 8 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA and PFOS and PFNA: PFOA 39.8 ppt, PFOS 33.8 ppt, PFNA 18.5 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Palmerton Municipal Authority water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Palmerton 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 PA3130012: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID PA3130012).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Palmerton Municipal Authority at (610) 826-8995, 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.