Updated 2026-09-16
County water report

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.

Across the county's systems

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
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)Detected in 1 system of 2 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest4 ng/L
Lead (90th percentile)Detected in 2 systems15 µg/L federal action level · US EPAHighest8 µg/L
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
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
Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)Detected in 1 system of 2 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest5.2 ng/L
Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)Detected in 1 system of 2 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest4.5 ng/L
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)Detected in 1 system of 2 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest11.5 ng/L
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)
2 cities

Cities ranked by the records

Showing 2 of 2 cities · scores are system-level, not tap tests

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.

PFAS in Columbia County1 of 2 cities report a regulated PFAS above the federal limit
  1. Berwick4 ng/L
4.0 ng/L federal MCL · PFOS, ng/LPFAS in Pennsylvania
Lead

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 Pennsylvania
Who supplies the county

Largest water systems

  1. BloomsburgVEOLIA WATER PA INC BLOOMSBURG · PA4190008
    29,382 served
  2. BerwickPA AMERICAN WATER BERWICK · PA4190013
    15,282 served
Questions

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.