Dauphin County Water Quality: 2 Cities Ranked by the Records
Dauphin 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.
LithiumDetected in 1 system of 2 tested10 µg/L EPA health reference level (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest11.4 µg/L
- PA AMER WATER CO11.4 µg/LSample date: 2024-01-02 to 2024-10-07
- CAPITAL REGION WATERNot detected · below 9.0 µg/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-01-18 to 2023-10-10
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)Detected in 1 system of 2 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest4.3 ng/L
- PA AMER WATER CO4.3 ng/LSample date: 2024-01-29 to 2024-10-07
- CAPITAL REGION WATERNot detected · below 4.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-01-18 to 2023-10-30
Lead (90th percentile)Detected in 1 system of 2 tested15 µg/L federal action level · US EPAHighest3 µg/L
- PA AMER WATER CO3 µg/LMonitoring period: 2025–2025
- CAPITAL REGION WATERNot detectedMonitoring 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 EPAHighest3.9 ng/L
- PA AMER WATER CO3.9 ng/LSample date: 2024-01-29 to 2024-10-07
- CAPITAL REGION WATERNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-01-18 to 2023-10-30
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)Detected in 1 system of 2 tested400,000 ng/L Michigan EGLE state MCL (strictest US state) · Michigan EGLEHighest5.7 ng/L
- PA AMER WATER CO5.7 ng/LSample date: 2024-01-29 to 2024-10-07
- CAPITAL REGION WATERNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-01-18 to 2023-10-30
Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)Detected in 1 system of 2 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest6.7 ng/L
- PA AMER WATER CO6.7 ng/LSample date: 2024-01-29 to 2024-10-07
- CAPITAL REGION WATERNot detected · below 5.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-01-18 to 2023-10-30
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)Detected in 1 system of 2 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest6.9 ng/L
- PA AMER WATER CO6.9 ng/LSample date: 2024-01-29 to 2024-10-07
- CAPITAL REGION WATERNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-01-18 to 2023-10-30
24 PFAS tested, none detected in any systemShow
Tested in these 2 systems: CAPITAL REGION WATER, PA AMER WATER CO
- 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)
- 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)
- Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)
- Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)
- Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
- Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)
- 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
- HarrisburgCAPITAL REGION WATER · PA722004966,540 served
- HersheyPA AMER WATER CO · PA722001750,200 served
Frequently asked
How does Dauphin County tap water compare across cities?
PurityMap ranks 2 cities in Dauphin 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 Harrisburg's main water system: CAPITAL REGION WATER · PWSID PA7220049 · Purity Score 100 (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 Dauphin 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 Hershey (PFOA 4.3 ng/L). PFAS were detected at any level in 1.
Is there lead in Dauphin County tap water?
Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 1 of 2 Dauphin 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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