Is Reading Area Water Authority Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

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

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

128

violations on file

still open

Violation	Type	Status	Period
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2025-04-01 → 2025-04-30
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2025-04-01 → 2025-04-30
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2025-04-01 → 2025-04-30
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2025-04-01 → 2025-04-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2018-10-01 → 2018-10-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2018-10-01 → 2018-10-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2018-10-01 → 2018-10-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2018-10-01 → 2018-10-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2018-09-01 → 2018-09-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2018-09-01 → 2018-09-30

PFAS detected

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

Contaminant	Max	Detection rate	Period
PFBS	0.0056 µg/L	4/4	2024
Pfhxa	0.0044 µg/L	4/4	2024
PFOA	0.0066 µg/L	4/4	2024
Pfpea	0.0054 µg/L	4/4	2024
Pfhpa	0.0030 µg/L	1/4	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
Bromodichloromethane	10.4 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 11.6 µg/L	254/254	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	59.54 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 71 µg/L	254/254	SYR4	2012–2019
TTHM	69.155 µg/L 86% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L worst single sample: 82.6 µg/L	244/244	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	54 µg/L 90% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 79 µg/L	244/244	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromochloromethane	1.6 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 1.8 µg/L	204/250	SYR4	2012–2019
Copper	288.75 µg/L 22% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 347 µg/L	132/133	SYR4	2012–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	20 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 30 µg/L	96/96	SYR4	2017–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	28.2 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 40 µg/L	95/96	SYR4	2017–2019
Nitrate	4132.5 µg/L 41% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 4260 µg/L	62/66	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	0.0 mg/L 0% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	28/28	LCR	2025
Lead	36.25 µg/L 242% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 15 µg/L worst single sample: 425 µg/L	26/132	SYR4	2012–2019
Fluoride	960 µg/L 24% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 1000 µg/L	5/9	SYR4	2012–2019
Monochloroacetic Acid	12.35 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 14 µg/L	4/96	SYR4	2017–2019
Barium	18 µg/L 0.9% of the EPA limit 2000 µg/L	2/9	SYR4	2012–2019

91 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-TP2,4-D4:2 Fts6:2 Fts8:2 Fts9Cl-PF3ONSAdonaAntimony, TotalArsenicAsbestosAtrazineBhc-GammaBenzeneBenzo(A)PyreneBeryllium, TotalBromoformChlorobenzeneCyanideCadmiumCarbofuranCarbon TetrachlorideChlordaneChromiumCombined UraniumDichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDibromoacetic AcidDinosebDiquatEthylene DibromideEndothallEndrinEthylbenzeneGlyphosateHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoMercuryMethoxychlorMonobromoacetic AcidNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitriteOxamylPfbaPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpsPFHXSPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPFOSPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSeleniumSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneThallium, TotalTolueneTotal Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)ToxapheneTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneLithiumO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: BILL MURRAY
Phone: 610-655-6253

Frequently asked questions about Reading Area Water Authority

Is Reading Area Water Authority tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 19 contaminants in Reading Area 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 Reading Area Water Authority's water?

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

How many people does Reading Area Water Authority serve?

Reading Area Water Authority reports serving 95,100 people in Pennsylvania, per its EPA record.

Has Reading Area Water Authority had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 128 violations on file for Reading Area Water Authority, of which 25 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.