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Updated 2026-09-16
County water report

Cumberland County Water Quality: 3 Cities Ranked by the Records

Cumberland County, Pennsylvania: 3 city reports built from EPA and utility records. A county has many suppliers; each city shows the system that serves it.

Find my systemOpen on the map
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.

Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)Detected in 2 systems of 3 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest11.4 ng/L
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)Detected in 2 systems of 3 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest7.1 ng/L
Lead (90th percentile)Detected in 3 systems15 µg/L federal action level · US EPAHighest3.3 µg/L
Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)Detected in 2 systems of 3 tested2,000 ng/L EPA health advisory (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest7.2 ng/L
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)Detected in 2 systems of 3 tested400,000 ng/L Michigan EGLE state MCL (strictest US state) · Michigan EGLEHighest6.9 ng/L
Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)Detected in 1 system of 3 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest5.2 ng/L
Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)Detected in 1 system of 3 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest3.6 ng/L
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)Detected in 2 systems of 3 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest8.1 ng/L
23 substances tested, none detected in any systemShow

Tested in these 3 systems: CARLISLE WATER TRMT PLT, SHIPPENSBURG BORO WATER AUTH, VEOLIA MECHANICSBURG

  • 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)
3 cities

Cities ranked by the records

Showing 3 of 3 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 Cumberland County2 of 3 cities report a regulated PFAS above the federal limit
  1. Mechanicsburg11.4 ng/L
  2. Carlisle11.3 ng/L
4.0 ng/L federal MCL · PFOS, ng/LPFAS in Pennsylvania
Lead

0of 3 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. MechanicsburgVEOLIA MECHANICSBURG · PA7210028
    45,013 served
  2. CarlisleCARLISLE WATER TRMT PLT · PA7210002
    26,000 served
  3. ShippensburgSHIPPENSBURG BORO WATER AUTH · PA7210043
    17,800 served
Questions

Frequently asked

How does Cumberland County tap water compare across cities?

PurityMap ranks 3 cities in Cumberland 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 Shippensburg's main water system: SHIPPENSBURG BORO WATER AUTH · PWSID PA7210043 · Purity Score 99 (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 Cumberland County cities have PFAS above the federal limit?

2 cities of 3 had at least one regulated PFAS (PFOA, PFOS or PFHxS) measured above the 2024 federal limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Mechanicsburg (PFOS 11.4 ng/L), Carlisle (PFOS 11.3 ng/L). PFAS were detected at any level in 2.

Is there lead in Cumberland County tap water?

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 3 of 3 Cumberland 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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