Lehigh County Authority – Wlsa Central Division water quality
Weisenberg, PA · serves 47,693 people (18,805 connections) · Purchased surface water · Local government · EPA ID PA3390073
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Buys water from Lehigh County Authority – Allentown Division, Swt Main System, Salisbury Township Water System. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
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 4.35 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
- Resolved2 health-based violations since 2016, most recently Jul 2019. One required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Aug 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 Lehigh County Authority – Wlsa Central Division'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) 398-2503. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 14 entry points tested Mar 2023 to Jan 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 | 4.35 ppt 1.09× the limit |
| PFOS Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFHxS Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 1.55 ppt 16% of the limit |
| 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 | 0.15 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 3.7 ppt |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 1.5 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 3.82 ppt |
Pennsylvania has its own PFAS limits. PFOA 14 ppt (this system's highest average: 4.35 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 81% 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 30 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 2016 – Sep 2016 | 3 ppb |
| Jun 2013 – Sep 2013 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2010 – Dec 2010 | 7 ppb |
| Jan 2007 – Dec 2007 | 4 ppb |
| Jan 2004 – Dec 2004 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 2001 – Dec 2001 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 1998 – Dec 1998 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 1995 – Dec 1995 | 6 ppb |
| Jul 1994 – Dec 1994 | 8 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 2019 | The running annual average for Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate was above the legal limit. EPA record: Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · measured 0.008 mg/l (limit 0.006 mg/L) Resolved |
| Aug 2018 | 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 | 3.19 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.74 ppb | – |
| Chlorate | 229 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.64 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Vanadium | 0.3 ppb | 21 ppb |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.23 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
Where it serves
Weisenberg, Lower Macungie, Upper Milford, South Whitehall, Salisbury
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 18049, 18051, 18062, 18103, 18104, 18106
Nearby utilities
- Pennsylvania American Water – Royersford Richmond · 10 mi · PFAS above limit
- Whitehall Township Authority Whitehall · 11 mi · PFAS above limit
- Emmaus Borough Public Water Emmaus · 12 mi · PFAS above limit
- Lehigh County Authority – Allentown Division Allentown · 12 mi
- Palmerton Municipal Authority Palmerton · 15 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Bethlehem Bethlehem · 18 mi
Questions
Is Lehigh County Authority – Wlsa Central Division water safe to drink?
Lehigh County Authority – Wlsa Central Division had 2 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 Lehigh County Authority – Wlsa Central Division water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Lehigh County Authority – Wlsa Central Division found 5 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA: PFOA 4.35 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Lehigh County Authority – Wlsa Central Division water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Lehigh County Authority – Wlsa Central Division 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 PA3390073: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID PA3390073).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Lehigh County Authority – Wlsa Central Division at (610) 398-2503, 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.