Is City of Lancaster Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

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

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

163

violations on file

still open

Violation	Type	Status	Period
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2024-04-01 → 2024-06-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2024-04-01 → 2024-06-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2024-04-01 → 2024-06-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2016-10-01 → 2016-12-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2016-10-01 → 2016-12-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2016-10-01 → 2016-12-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1996-01-01 → 1996-01-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1995-01-01 → 1997-03-17
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1992-06-01 → 1992-06-30
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1992-06-01 → 1992-06-30

PFAS detected

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

Contaminant	Max	Detection rate	Period
PFBS	0.0098 µg/L	4/8	2024
Pfhpa	0.0081 µg/L	4/8	2024
Pfhxa	0.0288 µg/L	4/8	2024
PFOA	0.0238 µg/L	4/8	2024
Pfpea	0.0223 µg/L	4/8	2024
Pfba	0.0154 µg/L	3/8	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	21.505 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 38.9 µg/L	280/280	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	80.515 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 136 µg/L	280/280	SYR4	2012–2019
TTHM	103.15 µg/L 129% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 80 µg/L worst single sample: 161 µg/L	278/278	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	74.85 µg/L 125% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 60 µg/L worst single sample: 106 µg/L	271/273	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromochloromethane	5.5 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 9.2 µg/L	234/271	SYR4	2012–2019
Copper	232 µg/L 18% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 471 µg/L	147/152	SYR4	2013–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	28.35 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 34.9 µg/L	94/94	SYR4	2017–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	32.935 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 57.3 µg/L	94/94	SYR4	2017–2019
Nitrate	7509 µg/L 75% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 7800 µg/L	78/80	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	8.95 µg/L 60% of the EPA limit 15 µg/L worst single sample: 49 µg/L	59/152	SYR4	2013–2019
Monochloroacetic Acid	5 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 5.2 µg/L	27/94	SYR4	2017–2019
Fluoride	735 µg/L 18% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 800 µg/L	14/16	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	0.0070 mg/L 47% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	14/14	LCR	2025
Barium	50.45 µg/L 2.5% of the EPA limit 2000 µg/L worst single sample: 51 µg/L	12/16	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromoacetic Acid	1.47 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 1.5 µg/L	7/94	SYR4	2017–2019
Atrazine	0.2874 µg/L 9.6% of the EPA limit 3 µg/L	1/22	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromoform	0.5800 µg/L No EPA limit set	1/278	SYR4	2012–2019

87 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, TotalArsenicAsbestosBhc-GammaBenzeneBenzo(A)PyreneBeryllium, TotalChlorobenzeneCyanideCadmiumCarbofuranCarbon TetrachlorideChlordaneChromiumCombined UraniumDichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDinosebDiquatEthylene DibromideEndothallEndrinEthylbenzeneGlyphosateHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoMercuryMethoxychlorMonobromoacetic AcidNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitriteOxamylPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpsPFHXSPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPFOSPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSeleniumSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneThallium, TotalTolueneTotal Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)ToxapheneTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneLithiumO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: STEPHEN CAMPBELL
Phone: 717-291-4738

Frequently asked questions about City of Lancaster

Is City of Lancaster tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 23 contaminants in City of Lancaster'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 City of Lancaster'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 City of Lancaster serve?

City of Lancaster reports serving 120,000 people in Pennsylvania, per its EPA record.

Has City of Lancaster had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 163 violations on file for City of Lancaster, of which 17 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.