Is Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Auth Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

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

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

196

violations on file

still open

Violation	Type	Status	Period
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2018-07-01
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2018-07-01
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2018-07-01
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2017-07-01
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2017-07-01
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2017-07-01
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1994-06-01 → 1994-06-30
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1994-06-01 → 1994-06-30
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1994-06-01 → 1994-06-30
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1994-06-01 → 1994-06-30

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
Copper	144.975 µg/L 11% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 790 µg/L	1136/1170	SYR4	2013–2019
Lead	33.885 µg/L 226% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 15 µg/L worst single sample: 380 µg/L	742/1168	SYR4	2013–2019
Bromodichloromethane	30.8 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 39.7 µg/L	381/381	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromochloromethane	28.8 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 50 µg/L	381/381	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	56.15 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 83.8 µg/L	379/379	SYR4	2012–2019
TTHM	107.1 µg/L 134% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 80 µg/L worst single sample: 127 µg/L	379/379	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	28 µg/L 47% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 38.6 µg/L	374/374	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromoform	23.1 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 35.3 µg/L	286/381	SYR4	2012–2019
Nitrate	1290 µg/L 13% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 1770 µg/L	96/106	SYR4	2012–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	17.355 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 20.2 µg/L	60/60	SYR4	2018–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	18.5 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 18.8 µg/L	60/60	SYR4	2018–2019
Lead	0.0020 mg/L 13% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	25/25	LCR	2025
Dibromoacetic Acid	3.353 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 3.42 µg/L	23/60	SYR4	2018–2019
Fluoride	962.2 µg/L 24% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 1000 µg/L	13/13	SYR4	2012–2019
Barium	49.45 µg/L 2.5% of the EPA limit 2000 µg/L worst single sample: 50 µg/L	12/13	SYR4	2012–2019
Monochloroacetic Acid	3.66 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 3.93 µg/L	4/60	SYR4	2018–2019
Nitrite	85 µg/L 8.5% of the EPA limit 1000 µg/L worst single sample: 90 µg/L	3/53	SYR4	2012–2019
Cyanide	45 µg/L 23% of the EPA limit 200 µg/L	1/13	SYR4	2012–2019

92 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, TotalArsenicAtrazineBhc-GammaBenzeneBenzo(A)PyreneBeryllium, TotalChlorobenzeneCadmiumCarbofuranCarbon TetrachlorideChlordaneChromiumCombined UraniumDichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDinosebDiquatEthylene DibromideEndothallEndrinEthylbenzeneGlyphosateGross Beta Particle ActivityHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoMercuryMethoxychlorMonobromoacetic AcidNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaOxamylPfbaPFBSPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpaPfhpsPfhxaPFHXSPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPFOAPFOSPfpeaPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSeleniumSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneThallium, TotalTolueneTotal Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)ToxapheneTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneLithiumO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: WILL PICKERING
Phone: 412-255-8946

Frequently asked questions about Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Auth

Is Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Auth tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 18 contaminants in Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Auth'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 Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Auth's water?

EPA monitoring detected Copper, Lead, Bromodichloromethane, Dibromochloromethane, Chloroform, and others. The full list with the level and data source for each is above.

How many people does Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Auth serve?

Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Auth reports serving 520,000 people in Pennsylvania, per its EPA record.

Has Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Auth had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 196 violations on file for Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Auth, of which 10 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.