Community Water System · PWS PA1510001
Philadelphia Water Department
Operator location Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - UCMR5 detected 8 PFAS compounds (upper-third PFAS panel (> 4 compounds)) on this PWS; SDWIS lists 130 violations and 1,600,000 people served.
- 1,600,000
- People served (this PWS)
- 130
- EPA violations (this PWS)
- 23
- Health-based (this PWS)
- 8 PFAS
- UCMR5 (this PWS)
Philadelphia Water Department standing, high SDWIS violation third
UCMR5 detected 8 PFAS compounds - upper-third PFAS panel (> 4 compounds). Corpus terciles use 29,740 systems serving 500+ (the sitemap cohort). Health-based share 18% is middle-third health share (≤ 23%). UCMR5: upper-third PFAS panel (> 4 compounds). Population rank #11 of 29,740 among systems serving 500+.
The verdict
Philadelphia Water Department sits in the upper third of the sitemap cohort by violation count (130), so the tables below sample a dense compliance trail rather than a near-clean ledger. Population served is large (1,600,000; larger served population (> 3,309)), so household exposure scale sits behind the violation mix. Health-based share is 18% (middle-third health share (≤ 23%)). UCMR5 detected 8 PFAS compounds (upper-third PFAS panel (> 4 compounds)).
- #11 of 29,740
- Population · /systems
- #1 of 1,340
- Population · PA
- 130
- Total EPA violations on record
- 18%
- Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
Population ordinals match the sitemap cohort (systems serving 500+, population_served DESC). See methodology · corpus placement.
8 PFAS "forever chemicals" detected in testing under EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
System Details
- System Type
- Community
- Owner Type
- Local
- Connections
- 524,021
- County
- Philadelphia
- School/Daycare
- No
- MCL Violations
- 0
- Monitoring Violations
- 103
- Treatment Tech Violations
- 23
Violation History
Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.
| Contaminant | Category | Count | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule | MR | 69 | 2025 |
| Surface Water Treatment Rule | TT | 17 | 2010 |
| Surface Water Treatment Rule | MR | 11 | 2008 |
| CARBON, TOTAL | TT | 6 | 2003 |
| CARBON, TOTAL | MR | 5 | 2005 |
| Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) | MR | 3 | 2003 |
| Endothall | MR | 3 | 2003 |
| Coliform (TCR) | MR | 3 | 2004 |
| Nitrate | MR | 3 | 2006 |
| Consumer Confidence Rule | Other | 3 | 2007 |
| Chlorine | MR | 2 | 2003 |
| Benzo(a)pyrene | MR | 1 | 2003 |
| Lead and Copper Rule | MR | 1 | 1992 |
| Gross Beta Particle Activity | MR | 1 | 1979 |
| 38-STRONTIUM-90 | MR | 1 | 1979 |
Violation Count vs. the National Corpus
Philadelphia Water Department has 130 recorded EPA violations, 78% of the 29,740 public water systems serving 500+ people nationwide carry fewer, and 21% carry more. 18% of this system's own violations are health-based (23 of 130), and it ranks #11 of 29,740 by population served among that same cohort.
EPA violations vs. the national water-system corpus
Public water systems serving 500+ people (EPA SDWIS)
130 Higher than most more violations than 78% of 29,740 water systems
the national water-system corpus, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more water systems. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source EPA SDWIS · 2026-05-15
PFAS Testing Results (UCMR5)
Results from EPA's Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule. 50 of 348 samples detected PFAS.
| Contaminant | Date | Result | MRL | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PFUnA | 8/5/2024 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHpS | 8/5/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHpA | 8/5/2024 | 3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFHxS | 8/5/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFNA | 8/5/2024 | 4.50 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFOS | 8/5/2024 | 5.20 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFOA | 8/5/2024 | 7.40 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFDA | 8/5/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 11Cl-PF3OUdS | 8/5/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHxA | 8/5/2024 | 8.40 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFPeS | 8/5/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFBA | 8/5/2024 | 6.20 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Detected |
| 9Cl-PF3ONS | 8/5/2024 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFDoA | 8/5/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| NFDHA | 8/5/2024 | <20.00 ppt | 20.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFEESA | 8/5/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFMBA | 8/5/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFPeA | 8/5/2024 | 9.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFMPA | 8/5/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 8:2 FTS | 8/5/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 6:2 FTS | 8/5/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| HFPO-DA | 8/5/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFBS | 8/5/2024 | 6.50 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
| ADONA | 8/5/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 4:2 FTS | 8/5/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 8:2 FTS | 8/5/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| ADONA | 8/5/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFBS | 8/5/2024 | 6.60 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFHpS | 8/5/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFPeS | 8/5/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| NFDHA | 8/5/2024 | <20.00 ppt | 20.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFEESA | 8/5/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFMBA | 8/5/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFPeA | 8/5/2024 | 9.90 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFMPA | 8/5/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 4:2 FTS | 8/5/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 6:2 FTS | 8/5/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| HFPO-DA | 8/5/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 9Cl-PF3ONS | 8/5/2024 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 11Cl-PF3OUdS | 8/5/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFUnA | 8/5/2024 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHxA | 8/5/2024 | 9.10 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFDoA | 8/5/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFDA | 8/5/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFOA | 8/5/2024 | 8.10 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFOS | 8/5/2024 | 6.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFNA | 8/5/2024 | 4.50 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFHxS | 8/5/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHpA | 8/5/2024 | 3.30 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFBA | 8/5/2024 | 6.80 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Detected |
UCMR5 PFAS record for Philadelphia Water Department
Open EPA SDWIS federal reports for PWS PA1510001 to cross-check UCMR5 detections and violation codes; state primacy agencies enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act locally.
Sources: EPA SDWIS · Pennsylvania DEP, Bureau of Safe Drinking Water
Nationwide peers
130 violations · 1,600,000 served: nearest cross-state SDWIS matches.
Cross-state systems with comparable violation load
Nearest cross-state community systems (500+ served) by total SDWIS violations on record.
Cross-state systems with similar served population
Nearest cross-state systems by EPA SDWIS population_served (same 500+ sitemap gate).
What to do with Philadelphia Water Department
Use this system's EPA-reported record as a starting filter, not a final verdict.
- See how every tracked system in Pennsylvania compares on the same EPA violation measures. Pennsylvania systems
- Check whether PFAS was detected at this system under UCMR5 testing. PFAS guide
- Find and compare another public water system by name or PWSID. Search systems
EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 figures are informational only, not a substitute for a certified lab test of your own tap water.