Short answer: In the 2024–2025 records we hold for Pittsburgh, no listed result is above a legal limit, but 2 health-based violations are on record (EPA SDWIS). 1 substance was detected and 30 were tested and not detected. The water is from Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, serving 520,000 residents.
PITTSBURGH WATER & SEWER AUTH (EPA PWSID PA5020038) delivers surface water to 520,000 residents. This report reflects 29 individual PFAS result(s) from the source UCMR5 observations and the latest Lead & Copper Rule 90th-percentile result. Water hardness and disinfectant type are pending the utility's own annual report.
Track record
2health-based violations in the last 10 years
From EPA SDWIS. Counted once per contaminant per year, as in the Track record score.
Not in this recordDisinfection by-products weren't monitored in this dataset
No result is not a pass. Your utility's annual water quality report may list them, and a certified lab test covers your own tap.
Health-based violations, last 10 years
Every filing is listed; the Track record score counts at most one per contaminant per year.
The record describes water leaving treatment and samples across the system. Pipes, solder and fixtures inside a building can add lead the record can’t see, especially in older buildings with lead service lines.
Affiliate linksPurityMap earns a commission from these links. "Best choice" and "Budget pick" go to certified products first; commission never decides them. As an Amazon Associate, PurityMap earns from qualifying purchases. Affiliate disclosure
★ Best choice: Brita Elite Water Filter Pitcher, certified for lead.
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Reverse osmosisiSpring RO5004F Tankless Reverse Osmosis System with UViSpring · Its PFAS and lead reduction claims are iSpring's own, with no third-party certification named for this model, and it treats only the water at its own faucet.Use code REFISPRING at checkout: 10% off your first iSpring order.
Reverse osmosisWaterdrop X12 Reverse Osmosis SystemWaterdrop · Its IAPMO NSF/ANSI 58 certification covers TDS reduction only, so its PFAS and lead claims rest on Waterdrop's own SGS lab testing.
★ Best available: iSpring WGB32B-PFKS PFAS & Heavy Metals Whole House Filter, the best fit here; nothing in this group is certified yet.
Filters for the lead found in Pittsburgh water
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Product
Details and price
Certification
Why it’s listed
Link
★ Best available
Whole-houseiSpring WGB32B-PFKS PFAS & Heavy Metals Whole House FilteriSpring · It does not reduce total dissolved solids or soften hard water, and its PFAS result comes from SGS lab testing rather than an NSF/ANSI certification.Use code REFISPRING at checkout: 10% off your first iSpring order.
PurityMap earns a commission from these links. "Best choice" and "Budget pick" go to certified products first; commission never decides them. As an Amazon Associate, PurityMap earns from qualifying purchases. Affiliate disclosure.
Lead service lines
Ask your utility first
Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority reported 16,165 lead and 2,250 galvanized service lines to replace in EPA’s inventory (2026Q2). Many utilities replace these lines for free or share the cost. Ask Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority whether your home’s line is on its list before you pay anyone.
Local help
Think your plumbing may be adding lead?
Call to be connected with a local plumbing provider about lead service lines, repiping or fixture replacement.
Your path: I live in an older buildingLead from plumbing is the main question
Older buildings may have lead service lines, solder or fixtures. Pittsburgh’s record shows lead at 2 µg/L (15 µg/L federal action level). Test first-draw water, then filter if needed.
Your path: My water tastes of chlorineThe disinfectant is not in this record
Most utilities keep chlorine or chloramine in the pipes. A carbon filter certified for taste and odor reduces either; your utility can tell you which it uses.
PurityMap does not give a safe/unsafe verdict; it shows what the public records measured. For Pittsburgh, no regulated PFAS were detected in EPA's 2024 testing; the lead 90th-percentile result was 2 µg/L against the 15 µg/L action level. PITTSBURGH WATER & SEWER AUTH (PWSID PA5020038) has a Purity Score of 96/100 (confidence: moderate), assessed at the water-system level and computed only from contaminants that were measured. Water can change in your own pipes, so a certified test is the only way to know what comes out of your tap. What we found →
Who provides tap water in Pittsburgh?+
PITTSBURGH WATER & SEWER AUTH (PWS ID PA5020038) is the public water system on record for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, serving about 520,000 people. Confirm the utility on your water bill before acting on a specific finding. Water utility →
Where does Pittsburgh get its drinking water?+
Surface water (primary source of record in EPA SDWIS). Water utility →
Are PFAS "forever chemicals" in Pittsburgh's water?+
None of the 29 PFAS in EPA's UCMR 5 testing (2024-02-13 to 2024-10-30) was detected. "Not detected" means below the lab's reporting limit, not proven zero. What we found →
Is there lead in Pittsburgh's tap water?+
PITTSBURGH WATER & SEWER AUTH's most recent lead 90th-percentile result (2025) was 2 µg/L, below the 15 µg/L action level. That figure comes from sampled homes; lead usually enters from a building's own pipes and fixtures, so only a test at your tap tells you what you drink. Your household →
What does the latest Pittsburgh water report show?+
PurityMap's current record for Pittsburgh holds 31 findings: 1 detected within the reference and 30 not detected. Each finding links to its dated public record; a parameter that was never monitored is shown as pending, not as a pass. Records →
EPA SDWIS, EPA UCMR 5 and utility reports, each dated and linked.
02Normalize
Units converted to one basis; a non-detect kept distinct from zero.
03Classify
Each result tagged by reference type: MCL, action level, screening level or aesthetic.
04Compare to the named reference
Every value sits against its own reference, never a blended one.
05Score
Measured subjects summarised at the water-system level; an open health-based violation caps the score.
06Match treatment
Treatment is matched to what was found; a product is called certified only when its current certification names it.
What the Purity Score means: a summary of this water system’s published record, capped while a health-based violation is open. It is not a test of any tap. PITTSBURGH WATER & SEWER AUTH · PWSID PA5020038 · Purity Score 96/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
Lead at Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority: 2 µg/L (90th percentile, 2025 monitoring period). Lead has no taste, so a taste neither shows nor rules it out.
ZIP codes in Pittsburgh
A ZIP code is a postal area, not a water service area. Your water bill names your supplier.