Pennsylvania Water Quality Records

Philadelphia · 2025 report

A report organized around the water's journey

Philadelphia Water Department's online report follows water from its source through treatment, delivery and the tap. Its source section places the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers within the larger Delaware River Watershed and explains upstream monitoring and protection work.

Read our Philadelphia report overview →

Erie · 2025 report

Lake Erie and two treatment plants

Erie Water Works identifies Lake Erie as its water source and describes the Chestnut and Richard S. Wasielewski treatment plants. The report's source-water section also describes a protection plan developed in 2025 for the utility's surface-water intakes. The report also discloses a 2025 routine-sample reporting violation; the linked overview preserves that dated disclosure without presenting it as a current-status finding.

Read our Erie report overview →

Reading · 2025 report

Lake Ontelaunee and its watershed

Reading Area Water Authority's report identifies Lake Ontelaunee as its reservoir. Maiden Creek and its tributaries feed the lake; the utility also describes an ability to draw directly from Maiden Creek. Its report connects those sources with watershed protection and treatment.

Read our Reading report overview →

Oversight

Public systems and private wells follow separate paths

Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection administers the Safe Drinking Water program for public systems. Its separate private-well guidance helps owners plan testing and maintenance. A nearby public system's report cannot describe a private well's water.

Water sources

A watershed explains the source, not who receives service

The three reports above describe different local source settings: the Delaware River Watershed, Lake Erie and Lake Ontelaunee. Pennsylvania's source-water protection program helps communities identify source areas and potential contamination sources. Those areas describe water-source protection; they do not establish service at a street address.

Record types

Sample records, annual reports and notices answer different questions

DEP's Drinking Water Reporting System provides system inventory, sample history and recent violation history. Annual utility reports explain a report year's results. For instructions affecting water use today, check the provider's current communications and confirm the notice's location and effective period.

For statewide compliance context, DEP's public-water page links its 2024 annual report. It covers distinct violation categories, including monitoring and reporting, treatment techniques and public notification. Those categories should not be combined into a claim about current conditions at the tap.

Why do the state and EPA system numbers look different?

Pennsylvania's lookup accepts a seven-digit state system number; EPA adds the PA prefix. Philadelphia's 1510001 and PA1510001 are an example of the same identity in those two formats. Confirm both the number and provider name.

Does DWRS sample history show every result ever collected?

The DWRS welcome page says its Sample History request covers results submitted to the state program within the last five years. Its summary reports also differ by topic, including lead and copper 90th-percentile values. Confirm the date range and report type before interpreting a missing row or comparing results.

Can these reports tell me whether an advisory affects my home?

An annual report describes its report year. To determine whether a notice affects your property now, confirm your provider, read its current notice and check the listed area and instructions. General notification guidance does not replace that provider check.