Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority water quality
Pittsburgh, PA · serves 520,000 people (79,034 connections) · Surface water · Local government · EPA ID PA5020038
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Buys water from Pennsylvania American Water – Pittsburgh. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Not detectedNone of 29 PFAS found above EPA's reporting limits in 4 samples (2023–2025).
- 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 2018.
- 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 Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority's 2026 water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (412) 255-8946.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 1 entry point tested Feb 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 Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| 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) Not detected Limit 1 | – |
| PFBS Not detected Guideline 2,000 ppt | – |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Not detected Guideline 3,000 ppt | – |
Pennsylvania has its own PFAS limits. PFOA 14 ppt (this system's highest average: not detected), 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.
29 PFAS tested, 0 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: 2 ppb lead (Jun 2025 – Sep 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 22 ppb (Jun 2016).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jun 2025 – Sep 2025 | 2 ppb |
| Jul 2023 – Dec 2023 | 3.58 ppb |
| Jan 2023 – Jun 2023 | 3.35 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jul 2022 – Dec 2022 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2022 – Jun 2022 | 4.42 ppb |
| Jul 2021 – Dec 2021 | 7.05 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Jun 2021 | 1.88 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Jun 2020 | 5.13 ppb |
| Jul 2019 – Dec 2019 | 10 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Jun 2019 | 17.5 ppb |
| Jul 2018 – Dec 2018 | 20 ppb |
| Jan 2018 – Jun 2018 | 10 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 2017 – Jul 2018 2 times | The system did not replace lead service lines as required. EPA record: Lead and Copper Rule · Lead Service Line Replacement (LSLR) (limit TT ) 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 | 0.5 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.15 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chromium-6 | 0.72 ppb | – |
| Chlorate | 370 ppb | 210 ppb |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 1.6 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
Where it serves
Pittsburgh, Shaler, Fox Chapel, O'Hara, Swissvale
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 15201, 15203, 15206, 15207, 15208, 15209, 15210, 15211, 15212, 15213, 15214, 15215, 15217, 15218, 15219, 15222, 15223, 15224, 15232, 15233, 15238
Nearby utilities
- Pennsylvania American Water – Pittsburgh Pittsburgh · same area
- Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water Authority Wilkinsburg · 5 mi
- Hampton Shaler Water Authority Shaler · 6 mi
- Coraopolis Water & Sewer Authority Moon · 13 mi · PFAS above limit
- Moon Township Municipal Authority Moon · 13 mi · PFAS above limit
- West View Water Authority Cranberry · 20 mi
Questions
Is Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority water safe to drink?
Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority had 2 health-based violations since 2016, all since resolved. EPA testing found no PFAS above the federal limits. 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 Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority water have PFAS?
EPA tested Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority for 29 PFAS between Feb 2024 and Oct 2024 and none were detected above the reporting limits (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical).
What is the lead level in Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority 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 PA5020038: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID PA5020038).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority'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: (412) 255-8946.
- Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority 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.