Columbia County Water Quality: 2 Cities Ranked by the Records
Columbia County, Pennsylvania: 2 city reports built from EPA and utility records. A county has many suppliers; each city shows the system that serves it.
Highest result for each contaminant
One row per contaminant: the highest result any system in the county reported, against its limit. Open a row for the systems behind it.
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)Detected in 1 system of 2 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest7.9 ng/L
- PA AMERICAN WATER BERWICK7.9 ng/LSample date: 2024-01-11 to 2024-07-09
- VEOLIA WATER PA INC BLOOMSBURGNot detected · below 4.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-02-08 to 2023-11-14
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)Detected in 1 system of 2 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest4 ng/L
- PA AMERICAN WATER BERWICK4 ng/LSample date: 2024-01-11 to 2024-07-09
- VEOLIA WATER PA INC BLOOMSBURGNot detected · below 4.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-02-08 to 2023-11-14
Lead (90th percentile)Detected in 2 systems15 µg/L federal action level · US EPAHighest8 µg/L
- VEOLIA WATER PA INC BLOOMSBURG8 µg/LMonitoring period: 2025–2025
- PA AMERICAN WATER BERWICK0.9 µg/LMonitoring period: 2025–2025
Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)Detected in 1 system of 2 tested2,000 ng/L EPA health advisory (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest4 ng/L
- PA AMERICAN WATER BERWICK4 ng/LSample date: 2024-01-11 to 2024-07-09
- VEOLIA WATER PA INC BLOOMSBURGNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-02-08 to 2023-11-14
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)Detected in 1 system of 2 tested400,000 ng/L Michigan EGLE state MCL (strictest US state) · Michigan EGLEHighest8.4 ng/L
- PA AMERICAN WATER BERWICK8.4 ng/LSample date: 2024-01-11 to 2024-07-09
- VEOLIA WATER PA INC BLOOMSBURGNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-02-08 to 2023-11-14
Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)Detected in 1 system of 2 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest5.2 ng/L
- PA AMERICAN WATER BERWICK5.2 ng/LSample date: 2024-01-11 to 2024-07-09
- VEOLIA WATER PA INC BLOOMSBURGNot detected · below 5.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-02-08 to 2023-11-14
Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)Detected in 1 system of 2 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest4.5 ng/L
- PA AMERICAN WATER BERWICK4.5 ng/LSample date: 2024-01-11 to 2024-07-09
- VEOLIA WATER PA INC BLOOMSBURGNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-02-08 to 2023-11-14
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)Detected in 1 system of 2 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest11.5 ng/L
- PA AMERICAN WATER BERWICK11.5 ng/LSample date: 2024-01-11 to 2024-07-09
- VEOLIA WATER PA INC BLOOMSBURGNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-02-08 to 2023-11-14
23 substances tested, none detected in any systemShow
Tested in these 2 systems: PA AMERICAN WATER BERWICK, VEOLIA WATER PA INC BLOOMSBURG
- 11-Chloroeicosafluoro-3-oxaundecane-1-sulfonic acid (11Cl-PF3OUdS)
- 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecane sulfonic acid (8:2 FTS)
- 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (4:2 FTS)
- 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (6:2 FTS)
- 4,8-Dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoic acid (ADONA)
- 9-Chlorohexadecafluoro-3-oxanone-1-sulfonic acid (9Cl-PF3ONS)
- Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) (GenX chemicals)
- Lithium
- N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NEtFOSAA)
- N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NMeFOSAA)
- Nonafluoro-3,6-dioxaheptanoic acid (NFDHA)
- Perfluoro (2-ethoxyethane) sulfonic acid (PFEESA)
- Perfluoro-3-methoxypropanoic acid (PFMPA)
- Perfluoro-4-methoxybutanoic acid (PFMBA)
- Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA)
- Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA)
- Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS)
- Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)
- Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
- Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS)
- Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA)
- Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA)
- Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA)
Cities ranked by the records
Ranked by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, highest first. Scores belong to water systems; there is no county score. The score is computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record, so this ranks the record, not which city's water is safest. How the score works.
0of 2 cities above the 15 µg/L action level
Based on each system's 90th-percentile result. Lead from household plumbing isn't in this record.
Lead in PennsylvaniaLargest water systems
- BloomsburgVEOLIA WATER PA INC BLOOMSBURG · PA419000829,382 served
- BerwickPA AMERICAN WATER BERWICK · PA419001315,282 served
Frequently asked
How does Columbia County tap water compare across cities?
PurityMap ranks 2 cities in Columbia County by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record. Scores belong to water systems, not to cities. The highest published score is Bloomsburg's main water system: VEOLIA WATER PA INC BLOOMSBURG · PWSID PA4190008 · Purity Score 91 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level. The ranking compares the records, not which city's water is safest, and your own tap can differ with household plumbing.
How many Columbia County cities have PFAS above the federal limit?
1 city of 2 had at least one regulated PFAS (PFOA, PFOS or PFHxS) measured above the 2024 federal limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Berwick (PFOA 7.9 ng/L). PFAS were detected at any level in 1.
Is there lead in Columbia County tap water?
Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 2 of 2 Columbia County cities reported a value above zero, and none was above the 15 µg/L federal action level. Lead usually comes from a building's own pipes and fixtures, so only a test at your tap tells you what you drink.
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