City of Lancaster water quality
Lancaster, PA · serves 120,000 people (49,376 connections) · Surface water · Local government · EPA ID PA7360058
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 14.7 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Below action level7 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 Apr 2024.
- 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 City of Lancaster'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 (717) 291-4738. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 2 entry points tested Dec 2023 to Sep 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 | 14.7 ppt 3.66× 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 | 0.0031 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 6.28 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 8.88 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 16.7 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 12.7 ppt |
| PFHpA Detected, no limit | 5.07 ppt |
What the utility says it is doing: In a 2026 customer letter after a July 2026 Conestoga plant PFOA result raised its running average to 15.2 ng/L, the city says its most likely solution is sourcing water solely from the Susquehanna River, at an estimated cost of about $90 million.
Source: City of Lancaster letter and PA DEP Tier 2 public notice: PFOA MCL exceedance (hosted by Penn Township), 2026-08. Collected by us on Nov 14, 2026, not from EPA's data. Ask the utility for the latest.
Pennsylvania has its own PFAS limits. PFOA 14 ppt (this system's highest average: 14.7 ppt, above it), 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 97% of the Pennsylvania systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 6 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 8 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 7 ppb lead (Jun 2025 – Sep 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 9.9 ppb (Sep 2022).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jun 2025 – Sep 2025 | 7 ppb |
| Jun 2022 – Sep 2022 | 9.9 ppb |
| Jun 2019 – Sep 2019 | 5.7 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jun 2016 – Sep 2016 | 6 ppb |
| Jun 2013 – Sep 2013 | 4.5 ppb |
| Jan 2010 – Dec 2010 | 4.8 ppb |
| Jan 2007 – Dec 2007 | 3.49 ppb |
| Jan 2004 – Dec 2004 | 7.6 ppb |
| Jan 2001 – Dec 2001 | 7 ppb |
| Jul 2000 – Dec 2000 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 1999 – Jun 1999 | 8.2 ppb |
| Jan 1998 – Dec 1998 | 13 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 2024 | The running annual average for TTHM was above the legal limit. EPA record: TTHM · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · measured 0.083 mg/l (limit 0.080 mg/L) Resolved |
| Oct 2016 | The running annual average for Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) was above the legal limit. EPA record: Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average (limit 0.060 mg/L) 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 | 34.1 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.34 ppb | – |
| Molybdenum | 1.3 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Vanadium | 1.1 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chlorate | 376 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.23 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.07 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
Where it serves
Lancaster
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 17505, 17512, 17520, 17540, 17543, 17545, 17551, 17554, 17572, 17576, 17584, 17601, 17602, 17603
Nearby utilities
- West View Water Authority Cranberry · 9 mi
- Hampton Shaler Water Authority Shaler · 23 mi
- Coraopolis Water & Sewer Authority Moon · 23 mi · PFAS above limit
- Moon Township Municipal Authority Moon · 23 mi · PFAS above limit
- Pennsylvania American Water – Pittsburgh Pittsburgh · 28 mi
- Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority Pittsburgh · 28 mi
Questions
Is City of Lancaster water safe to drink?
City of Lancaster 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 City of Lancaster water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of City of Lancaster found 6 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA: PFOA 14.7 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in City of Lancaster water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for City of Lancaster is 7 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 PA7360058: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID PA7360058).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask City of Lancaster at (717) 291-4738, 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.