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Non-Transient Non-Community Water System · PWS PA1150869

Octorara Area School District

Atglen, Pennsylvania 19310 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 3,100 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

3,100
People served
205
EPA violations
10
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 205 drinking-water violations at Octorara Area School District, 5% of them health-based - above the Pennsylvania per-system average.

205
Total EPA violations on record
5%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
3,100
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Octorara Area School District

Octorara Area School District is a local-owned non-transient non-community water system that delivers drinking water to 3,100 residents in Atglen, Pennsylvania (Chester County) through 4 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 205 total violations for this system , of which 10 (5%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 189 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2025.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Chlorine, recorded in 17 violations (MR). This system has not yet been sampled under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, so no PFAS detection data is available here.

Across Pennsylvania, EPA tracks 7,701 public water systems serving 12,630,061 people, with 1,159,868 cumulative violations and 68,517 health-based violations on record. About 97% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 150.6 violations. Statewide, 224 of 389 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (57.6%).

Octorara Area School District's 205 violations sit above the Pennsylvania average.

All figures above are sourced directly from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 public data releases and are updated as EPA publishes new reporting cycles.

Population Served
3,100
Total Violations
205
Health-Based Violations
10
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Non-Transient Non-Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
4
County
Chester
School/Daycare
Yes
MCL Violations
10
Monitoring Violations
189
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Chlorine MR 17 2014
Nitrate MR 15 2020
Coliform (TCR) MCL 10 2013
Lead and Copper Rule MR 10 2025
Coliform (TCR) MR 7 2014
Nitrite MR 6 2020
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 5 1995
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 4 1995
Xylenes, Total MR 4 1995
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 4 1995
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 4 1995
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 4 1995
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 4 1995
Carbon tetrachloride MR 4 1995
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 4 1995
CHLOROBENZENE MR 4 1995
Benzene MR 4 1995
Ethylbenzene MR 4 1995
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 4 1995
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 4 1995
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 4 1995
Styrene MR 4 1995
Trichloroethylene MR 4 1995
Toluene MR 4 1995
E. COLI MR 4 2025
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 4 1995
Tetrachloroethylene MR 4 1995
Public Notice Other 4 2010
Methoxychlor MR 3 2008
Endrin MR 2 2014

Verify This Water System

The figures above are aggregated from EPA's public databases. To verify the underlying records, or to file a complaint, request a Consumer Confidence Report, or check current monitoring status, go directly to the federal and state regulators that enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act for Octorara Area School District.

Federal Source of Truth

EPA SDWIS, Federal Reports

EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) holds the federal compliance record for every regulated public water system. Open the system-level report by PWS ID:

View PWS ID PA1150869 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Pennsylvania Drinking Water Authority

Pennsylvania DEP, Bureau of Safe Drinking Water is the primacy agency that licenses and inspects Octorara Area School District under EPA-delegated authority.

Open PA regulator portal

Source: Pennsylvania DEP, Bureau of Safe Drinking Water

Violation Timeline

Each row links to the EPA SDWIS public record for verification. Cross-reference the contaminant code on EPA's federal report to see violation dates, return-to-compliance status, and enforcement actions.

Year (latest) Contaminant Category Count EPA Record
2025 Lead and Copper Rule MR 10 SDWIS / PA1150869 / 5000
2025 E. COLI MR 4 SDWIS / PA1150869 / 3014
2020 Nitrate MR 15 SDWIS / PA1150869 / 1040
2020 Nitrite MR 6 SDWIS / PA1150869 / 1041
2014 Chlorine MR 17 SDWIS / PA1150869 / 0999
2014 Coliform (TCR) MR 7 SDWIS / PA1150869 / 3100
2014 Endrin MR 2 SDWIS / PA1150869 / 2005
2014 Dalapon MR 2 SDWIS / PA1150869 / 2031
2014 Picloram MR 2 SDWIS / PA1150869 / 2040
2014 Dinoseb MR 2 SDWIS / PA1150869 / 2041
2014 Hexachlorocyclopentadiene MR 2 SDWIS / PA1150869 / 2042
2014 Heptachlor MR 2 SDWIS / PA1150869 / 2065
2014 2,4,5-TP MR 2 SDWIS / PA1150869 / 2110
2014 Benzo(a)pyrene MR 2 SDWIS / PA1150869 / 2306
2014 Total Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) MR 2 SDWIS / PA1150869 / 2383

How Octorara Area School District Compares

Cross-reference this system's record against state averages and the federal MCL framework for context.

Metric Octorara Area School District Pennsylvania avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 205 150.6 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 10 8.9 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 57.6% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 3,100 1,640 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 7,701 regulated public water systems in Pennsylvania.

Federal MCL reference, Safe Drinking Water Act thresholds ▼
Contaminant Federal MCL / Action Level Note
Lead 0 mg/L (Action Level: 0.015 mg/L) Lead and Copper Rule treatment technique
Arsenic 0.010 mg/L (10 ppb) Health-based MCL since 2006
Total Coliform Treatment technique (RTCR) Indicator organism, monitoring trigger
PFOA / PFOS (PFAS) 4.0 ppt each (final 2024 rule) Compliance deadline 2029 (EPA proposed extending to 2031, not yet final as of May 2026)
Nitrate (as N) 10 mg/L Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Octorara Area School District water safe to drink? ▼
Octorara Area School District (PWS ID: PA1150869) has 205 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 3,100 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Octorara Area School District serve? ▼
Octorara Area School District serves 3,100 people in Atglen, Pennsylvania. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 4 service connections.
What type of violations does Octorara Area School District have? ▼
Octorara Area School District has 205 total violations: 10 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 189 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Octorara Area School District water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Octorara Area School District under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Octorara Area School District use? ▼
Octorara Area School District uses Groundwater as its primary water source. It is classified as a Non-Transient Non-Community Water System, serving the same people for at least 6 months per year.
Where does this data come from? ▼
All data comes from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and the UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program. SDWIS tracks compliance for all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Data Sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), Q4 2025. This data is provided for informational purposes only.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 PFAS monitoring data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainWater Editorial

Every figure on PlainWater is rendered directly from EPA SDWIS drinking-water data, no number is typed in by an editor. This system's figures are rendered directly from EPA SDWIS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.