Is York, PA tap water safe?
Supplied by York Water Company · serves 206,762 people (68,414 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID PA7670100
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of York gets its water from York Water Company. Parts of the city are served by a smaller system: Dallastown Yoe Water Authority (12,300 people). Your water bill names your system.
Buys water from Hanover Municipal Water Works. 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 level3 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 2022. One required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Jul 2022. What to do if you get a notice.
- 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 York Water Company'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) 718-7554. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 1 entry point tested Feb 2025 to Nov 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 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: 3 ppb lead (Jun 2025 – Sep 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 16 ppb (Sep 2016).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jun 2025 – Sep 2025 | 3 ppb |
| Jun 2022 – Sep 2022 | 2 ppb |
| Jun 2019 – Sep 2019 | 3.51 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jun 2018 – Sep 2018 | 8.54 ppb |
| Jul 2017 – Dec 2017 | 9.4 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Jun 2017 | 8.14 ppb |
| Jun 2016 – Sep 2016 | 16 ppb |
| Jun 2013 – Sep 2013 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2010 – Dec 2010 | 2.8 ppb |
| Jan 2007 – Dec 2007 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2004 – Dec 2004 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2001 – Dec 2001 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Jul 2022 | 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 | 3.84 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chlorate | 380 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Vanadium | 0.27 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.073 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chromium-6 | 0.11 ppb | – |
Where it serves
York
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 17401, 17405
Nearby utilities
- West Manchester Township Authority West Manchester · 7 mi · PFAS above limit
- Stewartstown Borough Water Authority Stewartstown · 12 mi · PFAS above limit
- Dover Township Water System Dover · 12 mi · PFAS above limit
- Millersville Univ Water System Manor · 15 mi · PFAS above limit
- Veolia Newberry System Newberry · 16 mi · PFAS above limit
- Elizabethtown Area Water Mount Joy · 19 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is York tap water safe to drink?
Most of York gets its water from York Water Company. York Water Company had 1 health-based violation 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 York water have PFAS?
EPA tested York Water Company for 29 PFAS between Feb 2025 and Nov 2025 and none were detected above the reporting limits (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical).
What is the lead level in York water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for York Water Company is 3 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 PA7670100: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID PA7670100).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask York Water Company at (717) 718-7554, 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.