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Updated 2026-10-15
County water report

Lehigh County Water Quality: 2 Cities Ranked by the Records

Lehigh County, Pennsylvania: 2 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 Lehigh 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.

Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)Detected in 2 systems4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest153 ng/L
Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)Detected in 1 system of 2 tested10 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest99.8 ng/L
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)Detected in 1 system of 2 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest22.4 ng/L
Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)Detected in 1 system of 2 tested10 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest33.2 ng/L
Water hardnessDetected in 1 systemAesthetic, no federal health limit · USGSHighest15 gpg
NitrateDetected in 1 system10 mg/L · US EPAHighest4.96 mg/L
Lead (90th percentile)Detected in 2 systems15 µg/L federal action level · US EPAHighest7 µg/L
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)Detected in 1 system60 ppb federal MCL · US EPAHighest23.4 ppb
12 more contaminants detectedShow
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)Detected in 1 system80 ppb federal MCL · US EPAHighest28 ppb
FluorideDetected in 1 system4.0 mg/L · US EPAHighest0.55 mg/L
CopperDetected in 1 system1.3 mg/L (action level) · US EPAHighest0.083 mg/L
Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)Detected in 2 systems2,000 ng/L EPA health advisory (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest16.5 ng/L
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)Detected in 2 systems400,000 ng/L Michigan EGLE state MCL (strictest US state) · Michigan EGLEHighest41.5 ng/L
1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecane sulfonic acid (8:2 FTS)Detected in 1 system of 2 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest41.9 ng/L
1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (6:2 FTS)Detected in 1 system of 2 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest64.5 ng/L
Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)Detected in 1 system of 2 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest13.5 ng/L
Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA)Detected in 1 system of 2 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest7 ng/L
Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)Detected in 1 system of 2 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest30.9 ng/L
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)Detected in 2 systemsNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest51.6 ng/L
Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA)Detected in 1 system of 2 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest22.2 ng/L
17 substances tested, none detected in any systemShow

Tested in these 2 systems: EMMAUS BOROUGH PUBLIC WATER, LCA ALLENTOWN DIVISION

  • 11-Chloroeicosafluoro-3-oxaundecane-1-sulfonic acid (11Cl-PF3OUdS)
  • 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (4:2 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)
  • Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA)
  • Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS)
  • Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS)
  • Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA)
  • Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA)
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 Lehigh County2 of 2 city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit
  1. Emmaus153 ng/L
  2. Allentown4.4 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
Hard water

1city reports hardness · Allentown, 15 gpg

Hard on the USGS scale. An aesthetic measure with no federal health limit.

Hard water explained
Who supplies the county

Largest water systems

  1. AllentownLCA ALLENTOWN DIVISION · PA3390024
    118,000 served
  2. EmmausEMMAUS BOROUGH PUBLIC WATER · PA3390032
    14,000 served
Questions

Frequently asked

How does Lehigh County tap water compare across cities?

PurityMap ranks 2 cities in Lehigh 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 Allentown's main water system: LCA ALLENTOWN DIVISION · PWSID PA3390024 · Purity Score 73 (Fair) · Confidence: high · 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 Lehigh County cities had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit?

2 of 2 Lehigh County city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Emmaus (PFOS 153 ng/L), Allentown (PFOS 4.4 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 2.

Is there lead in Lehigh County tap water?

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 2 of 2 Lehigh 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.

Does Lehigh County have hard water?

Hardness is published in utility water-quality reports for 1 Lehigh County city on record; the hardest is Allentown at 15 grains per gallon. Hardness affects scale and appliances; it is not a health finding.

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