We read 11 results from City of Lancaster’s 2025 water quality report. 1 result over a legal limit and 2 above a health goal or guideline.
Serves about 120,000 people · Water system ID PA7360058 · Read the district’s 2025 report (opens in a new tab)
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Results from the 2025 report
Each number is copied from the district’s report and links to the page it’s printed on. Where the report lists several plants, wells or purchased water, the highest is shown.
| Contaminant | Result | Health goal | Legal limit | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PFOA (a PFAS)highest measured · range 7.84 to 22.3 · listed as a violation in the report · Conestoga plant (Entry Point 102), highest of 2 sources · 2025 report, page 9 | 22.3 ppt | 0.007 ppt | 14 ppt (Pennsylvania) now; 4 ppt from 2029 | Over the legal limit (state)1.6x the 14 ppt Pennsylvania limit |
| Lead90th percentile of 52 homes tested, 1 over the action level · listed as a violation in the report · Customer taps (52 sites) · 2025 report, page 10 | 7 ppb | 0.2 ppb | 15 ppb (action level) | Above the health goal35x the health goal |
| PFOS (a PFAS)highest measured · range 3.19 to 3.55 · listed as a violation in the report · Conestoga plant (Entry Point 102), highest of 2 sources · 2025 report, page 9 | 3.55 ppt | 1 ppt | 18 ppt (Pennsylvania) now; 4 ppt from 2029 | Above the health goal3.6x the health goal |
| Chlorinehighest measured · range 0.54 to 0.78 · listed as a violation in the report · Distribution system · 2025 report, page 10 | 0.78 ppm | None set | 4 ppm | Below the legal limit |
| Copper90th percentile of 52 homes tested, 0 over the action level · listed as a violation in the report · Customer taps (52 sites) · 2025 report, page 10 | 0.24 ppm | 0.3 ppm | 1.3 ppm (action level) | Below the health goal |
| Disinfection byproducts (HAA5)highest running annual average · range 9 to 93.6 · listed as a violation in the report · Distribution system · 2025 report, page 10 | 56 ppb | None set | 60 ppb | Below the legal limit |
| Disinfection byproducts (TTHM)highest running annual average · range 11.9 to 148 · listed as a violation in the report · Distribution system · 2025 report, page 10 | 75.2 ppb | None set | 80 ppb | Below the legal limit |
| Fluoridesingle sample · listed as a violation in the report · Conestoga plant (Entry Point 102), highest of 2 sources · 2025 report, page 8 | 0.75 ppm | 1 ppm | 4 ppm | Below the health goal |
| Nitrate (as N)highest measured · range 5.15 to 6.6 · listed as a violation in the report · Conestoga plant (Entry Point 102) · 2025 report, page 8 | 6.6 ppm | 10 ppm | 10 ppm | Below the health goal |
| Turbidity (cloudiness)highest measured · listed as a violation in the report · Susquehanna plant, highest of 2 sources · 2025 report, page 7 | 0.07 NTU | None set | 1 NTU | Below the legal limit |
| PFBS (a PFAS)highest measured · range 2.89 to 8.04 · listed as a violation in the report · Conestoga plant (Entry Point 102) · 2025 report, page 8 | 8.04 ppt | None set | None | No health limit |
Utility results describe the whole system, measured where water enters the pipes, not your tap. Your home’s plumbing can add lead or copper.
EPA testing for PFAS and lithium
EPA’s own nationwide testing (UCMR 5) found these in City of Lancaster’s water between Dec 2023 and Sep 2024. These are EPA lab results, separate from the district’s report. Anything not listed was not detected.
- PFOA23.8 pptFound in 4 of 8 samples · highest resultHighest sample is above the 14 ppt Pennsylvania limit. Compliance is judged on averages, not one sample.
- PFBS9.8 pptFound in 4 of 8 samples · highest resultNo federal limit in force for this one
Source: EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data. The highest single result is shown; one high sample doesn’t mean every glass is that high.
What you can do
Nothing here is an emergency notice: if the district has a violation, it must tell customers directly. If you’d like to lower these at your tap, these are the treatments that remove them, and the catalog shows the models certified for each. Ranking is by certified removal; commissions never change the order.
PFAS ("forever chemicals")
Found: PFOA (a PFAS), PFOS (a PFAS), PFOA (EPA testing)
What removes it: Reverse osmosis.
Lead
Found: Lead
What removes it: Certified carbon block or RO.
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