Is Chester Water Authority Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

Water source: Surface water
Ownership: Local government
Counties served: Delaware

Compliance record

Formal violations the EPA has on file for this supplier. A health-based violation means a contaminant limit or a required treatment was breached; the rest are monitoring or reporting failures — still violations, but not a measured health risk.

health-based violations

violations on file

still open

Violation	Type	Status	Period
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2011-07-01 → 2011-09-30
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2011-07-01 → 2011-09-30
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2011-07-01 → 2011-09-30
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2011-07-01 → 2011-09-30

PFAS detected

PFAS are industrial “forever chemicals”. These are the EPA's latest nationwide test results (2023–2025).

Contaminant	Max	Detection rate	Period
Pfhxa	0.0039 µg/L	4/4	2024
Pfpea	0.0041 µg/L	4/4	2024
PFBS	0.0045 µg/L	3/4	2024
PFOA	0.0051 µg/L	2/4	2024

Other contaminants detected

Each bar shows the measured level as a share of the EPA limit: green is well under, amber is close to it, red is over. For lead and copper the limit applies to exactly the 90th-percentile figure shown, so red there means a real exceedance. For everything else the limit applies to a running annual average while the figure is the 95th percentile of this system's samples — over 100% is worth reading, but is not by itself a violation. Where a single sample came in higher than that percentile, it is noted under the bar. Formal violations are listed separately.

Contaminant	Level vs EPA limit	Detection rate	Source	Period
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	59.93 µg/L 100% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 102 µg/L	755/756	SYR4	2012–2019
Copper	312.5 µg/L 24% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 1400 µg/L	256/258	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromodichloromethane	11.845 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 17 µg/L	252/252	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	68.435 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 84.4 µg/L	252/252	SYR4	2012–2019
TTHM	75.9 µg/L 95% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L worst single sample: 92.5 µg/L	252/252	SYR4	2012–2019
Nitrate	8390 µg/L 84% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 9030 µg/L	130/130	SYR4	2012–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	31.425 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 33 µg/L	128/128	SYR4	2018–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	27.06 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 30 µg/L	128/128	SYR4	2018–2019
Lead	30.9 µg/L 206% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 15 µg/L worst single sample: 81 µg/L	127/258	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromochloromethane	2.9 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 3.1 µg/L	97/252	SYR4	2012–2019
Monochloroacetic Acid	4.29 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 4.8 µg/L	63/128	SYR4	2018–2019
Lead	0.0048 mg/L 32% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	28/28	LCR	2025
Barium	30.65 µg/L 1.5% of the EPA limit 2000 µg/L worst single sample: 31 µg/L	8/8	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromoacetic Acid	1.265 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 1.3 µg/L	8/128	SYR4	2018–2019
Fluoride	772.35 µg/L 19% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 779 µg/L	8/8	SYR4	2012–2019
Atrazine	0.6760 µg/L 23% of the EPA limit 3 µg/L worst single sample: 0.7300 µg/L	5/14	SYR4	2012–2019
Monobromoacetic Acid	2.54 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 2.6 µg/L	4/128	SYR4	2018–2019
2,4-D	0.1800 µg/L 0.3% of the EPA limit 70 µg/L	1/17	SYR4	2012–2019

89 contaminants tested, none detected

1,1,1-Trichloroethane1,1,2-Trichloroethane1,1-Dichloroethylene1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE1,2-Dichloroethane1,2-Dichloropropane11Cl-PF3OUdS2,3,7,8-TCDD2,4,5-TP4:2 Fts6:2 Fts8:2 Fts9Cl-PF3ONSAdonaAntimony, TotalArsenicAsbestosBhc-GammaBenzeneBenzo(A)PyreneBeryllium, TotalBromoformChlorobenzeneCyanideCadmiumCarbofuranCarbon TetrachlorideChlordaneChromiumCombined UraniumDichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDinosebDiquatEthylene DibromideEndothallEndrinEthylbenzeneGlyphosateGross Beta Particle ActivityHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoMercuryMethoxychlorNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitriteOxamylPfbaPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpaPfhpsPFHXSPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPFOSPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSeleniumSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneThallium, TotalTolueneTotal Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)ToxapheneTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneLithiumO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: DARRYL JENKINS
Phone: 610-876-8185

Frequently asked questions about Chester Water Authority

Is Chester Water Authority tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 22 contaminants in Chester Water Authority's water. A detection isn't the same as a violation — most levels are within federal limits. See each level and source above, and the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report for its official compliance status.

What contaminants were detected in Chester Water Authority's water?

EPA monitoring detected Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5), Copper, Bromodichloromethane, Chloroform, TTHM, and others. The full list with the level and data source for each is above.

How many people does Chester Water Authority serve?

Chester Water Authority reports serving 140,437 people in Pennsylvania, per its EPA record.

Has Chester Water Authority had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 4 violations on file for Chester Water Authority, of which 0 are health-based (a contaminant limit or required treatment was breached) and 0 remain open. The rest are monitoring or reporting failures.

Where does this data come from?

Every figure is official EPA drinking-water monitoring — the Lead & Copper Rule, the UCMR-5 nationwide testing program, and the EPA Six-Year Review — not our own testing. Each number is labelled with its source and period.