Forever Chemicals
Whether you are relocating a family into Pennsylvania, looking harder at the water after years in the same house, or you arrived here hunting for the DEP, the agency behind the figures below is the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and its Bureau of Safe Drinking Water. Pennsylvania moved early on PFAS, so the state has its own enforceable standards in play alongside the federal ones. The numbers below come from federal monitoring and say nothing final about any single home. They are the public record, set out so you can read it steadily and decide what is worth reviewing when evaluating an address.
EPA's UCMR 5 program (2021–2024) tested 48 public water systems in Pennsylvania for 29 PFAS compounds; 24 reported at least one detection and none exceeded the 2024 federal limit of 4 ppt for PFOA/PFOS (a 50% detection rate). Detections vary by water system — check the utility serving a specific Pennsylvania address.
Pennsylvania's PFAS work runs through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and its Bureau of Safe Drinking Water. Pennsylvania is among the states that set their own enforceable PFAS drinking-water limits ahead of, and in step with, the 2024 federal rule, which means the DEP has been regulating these compounds on its own authority rather than waiting on Washington. For most residents that translates to a layered safety net: the state's own enforceable standards alongside the federal 4-parts-per-trillion ceiling for PFOA and PFOS. The reframe here is simple but real, you are not facing invisible chemicals alone; you are a resident of a state with a named office that already moved.
Numbers below come straight from EPA UCMR 5 monitoring (2021–2024). Every public water system in Pennsylvaniaserving more than 3,300 people had to test for 29 different PFAS — here's what they reported.
48
Water systems tested
UCMR 5 (2021–2024)
24
Systems with any PFAS detected
50% detection rate
0
Systems exceeding 2024 MCL
Above 4 ppt PFOA/PFOS
8
Distinct PFAS compounds detected
Of 29 monitored under UCMR 5
0
TRI-reporting PFAS facilities
EPA Toxics Release Inventory 2024
6
DoD PFAS installations
Military PFAS contamination sites
Red triangles are military installations the Department of Defense has flagged for PFAS from firefighting foam. Orange dots are industrial facilities that reported PFAS to the EPA Toxics Release Inventory. If your future home sits near a cluster, that's a conversation worth having with the seller or landlord.
These are the Pennsylvaniautilities where EPA testing found PFAS the most often or at the highest levels. Being on this list doesn't automatically mean today's tap water is unsafe — some systems have added treatment since these samples were taken — but it means a conversation with the utility is worth having before you move in.
| Water system | Detections | Max value (ng/L) | vs 2024 MCL |
|---|---|---|---|
| AQUA PA CHALFONT | 5 | 0.02 | Below MCL |
| WARWICK TWP WATER & SEWER AUTH | 6 | 0.02 | Below MCL |
| WARMINSTER MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY | 2 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| NEWTOWN ARTESIAN WATER CO | 6 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| NORTHAMPTON BUCKS CO MUN AUTH | 8 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| DOYLESTOWN BORO WATER DEPT | 7 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| UPPER SOUTHAMPTON MUN AUTH | 7 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| JAMIE HOLLANDERS | 5 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| DTMA MAIN SYSTEM | 6 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| BUCKINGHAM TWP COLD SPRING | 5 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
PFAS isn't one chemical — it's a family of thousands. Here are the specific compounds EPA picked up most often across Pennsylvania water systems. PFOA and PFOS are the two with the strictest federal limits (4 parts per trillion).
For decades the military trained with AFFF firefighting foam loaded with PFAS. It soaked into soil and groundwater and, in many places, traveled miles. If you're house-hunting near any of these Pennsylvania installations, the address report will tell you exactly how close.
Biddle ANGB (formerly Horsham/Willow Grove ANG)
Air Force
Mechanicsburg NAVICP
Navy
N Penn
Army
Warminster
Navy
Willow Grove
Navy
Willow Grove NASJRB
Navy
Looking at a specific Pennsylvaniacity? Each page below pulls the same federal data narrowed to that water system — useful whether you're relocating, buying, organizing your neighborhood around getting cleaner water, or just trying to find out what's in the tap and what's around you.
A quick orientation on the figures above before they settle into certainty. The federal monitoring behind them covered 29 PFAS compounds at public systems serving more than about 3,300 people, sampled from 2021 through 2024. The edges matter: private wells were never required to test, smaller rural systems fall under the threshold, and a 2022 detection is a snapshot rather than a promise about this morning's tap. For a private well, the Pennsylvania DEP's well-testing guidance is the better entry point than any statewide system figure. Pennsylvania at least spares you a rebranded acronym; the DEP has stayed the DEP, which in this field counts as restraint.
Military installations sit at the center of Pennsylvania's PFAS story, and the audience for this section deserves plain respect. For decades, a firefighting foam known as AFFF was used in training at military and aviation sites, and it carried the PFAS compounds now under scrutiny. Those compounds resist breaking down and can migrate through groundwater well past a property line. If your family's service ties you to this state, the installations listed above are offered as context for where groundwater attention has concentrated, never as a verdict on anyone's home or health.
Yes. EPA UCMR 5 monitoring (2021–2024) tested 48 public water systems in Pennsylvania; 24 had at least one PFAS detection. Detections vary by water system — check your specific serving utility.
Yes. Pennsylvania is among the states that set their own enforceable PFAS drinking-water limits ahead of, and alongside, the 2024 federal rule. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regulates these compounds on state authority, layered with the federal standards of 4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, through its Bureau of Safe Drinking Water, has set enforceable state PFAS limits and monitors public systems against them. Pennsylvania has been among the more proactive states, regulating these compounds before the federal rule took full effect.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is the state agency overseeing air, water, and land quality, including the Bureau of Safe Drinking Water that regulates contaminants such as PFAS in the state's public drinking-water systems.
Use VetMyAddress to see the PFAS detections reported for the public water system serving any Pennsylvania address, alongside nearby military bases and industrial PFAS sources. The data comes from EPA UCMR 5, EPA TRI, and the DoD PFAS installation report.
In April 2024 the EPA set the first enforceable federal limits for PFAS in drinking water: 4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, and 10 ppt each for PFHxS, PFNA, and HFPO-DA (GenX), plus a Hazard Index for certain mixtures. Public water systems must complete initial monitoring by 2027 and come into compliance after that.
No. The federal limits apply to public water systems. Private well owners are responsible for their own testing and treatment, which is especially worth doing near a known PFAS source like a military base or industrial site.
State numbers tell you the pattern. An address report tells you what's actually in the water at yourkitchen sink — the matched utility, the PFAS detections on file, and every military or industrial source nearby. Whether it's for your family, your neighbors, or peace of mind.
Data sources: EPA UCMR 5 bulk data · EPA TRI 2024 · DoD PFAS installation report