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Updated 2026-10-15
County water report

Lancaster County Water Quality: 5 Cities Ranked by the Records

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania: 5 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 mapPrivate wells in Lancaster County
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 2 systems of 5 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest23.8 ng/L
LithiumDetected in 2 systems of 5 tested10 µg/L EPA health reference level (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest16.8 µg/L
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)Detected in 2 systems of 5 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest5.7 ng/L
Lead (90th percentile)Detected in 5 systems15 µg/L federal action level · US EPAHighest7 µg/L
Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)Detected in 1 system of 5 tested10 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest3.6 ng/L
Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)Detected in 3 systems of 5 tested2,000 ng/L EPA health advisory (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest9.8 ng/L
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)Detected in 3 systems of 5 tested400,000 ng/L Michigan EGLE state MCL (strictest US state) · Michigan EGLEHighest28.8 ng/L
Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)Detected in 2 systems of 5 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest15.4 ng/L
2 more contaminants detectedShow
Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)Detected in 1 system of 5 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest8.1 ng/L
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)Detected in 4 systems of 5 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest22.3 ng/L
21 PFAS tested, none detected in any systemShow

Tested in these 5 systems: CITY OF LANCASTER, COLUMBIA WATER CO, ELIZABETHTOWN AREA WATER, EPHRATA AREA JOINT AUTHORITY, MT JOY BORO AUTH

  • 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)
  • Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
  • Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS)
  • Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA)
  • Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA)
  • Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA)
5 cities

Cities ranked by the records

Showing 5 of 5 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 Lancaster County3 of 5 city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit
  1. Elizabethtown5.7 ng/L
  2. Ephrata4.6 ng/L
4.0 ng/L federal MCL · PFOS, ng/LPFAS in Pennsylvania
Lead

0of 5 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. LancasterCITY OF LANCASTER · PA7360058
    120,000 served
  2. ColumbiaCOLUMBIA WATER CO · PA7360123
    25,200 served
  3. EphrataEPHRATA AREA JOINT AUTHORITY · PA7360045
    24,500 served
  4. ElizabethtownELIZABETHTOWN AREA WATER · PA7360124
    19,000 served
  5. Mount JoyMT JOY BORO AUTH · PA7360091
    15,261 served
Questions

Frequently asked

How does Lancaster County tap water compare across cities?

PurityMap ranks 5 cities in Lancaster 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 Columbia's main water system: COLUMBIA WATER CO · PWSID PA7360123 · Purity Score 98 (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 Lancaster County cities had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit?

3 of 5 Lancaster County city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Lancaster (PFOA 23.8 ng/L), Ephrata (PFOA 5.8 ng/L), Elizabethtown (PFOS 5.7 ng/L). That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it, so a single sample is not a violation. PFAS were detected at any level in 4.

Is there lead in Lancaster County tap water?

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 5 of 5 Lancaster 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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