PlainWater
States → Pennsylvania

Community Water System · PWS PA3390093

Desales University

Center Valley, Pennsylvania 18034 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 2,000 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

2,000
People served
54
EPA violations
4
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 54 drinking-water violations at Desales University, 7% of them health-based - below the Pennsylvania per-system average.

54
Total EPA violations on record
7%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
2,000
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Desales University

Desales University is a public/private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 2,000 residents in Center Valley, Pennsylvania (Lehigh County) through 59 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 54 total violations for this system , of which 4 (7%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 42 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2024.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Groundwater Rule, recorded in 16 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%).

Desales University's 54 violations sit below 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
2,000
Total Violations
54
Health-Based Violations
4
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Public/Private
Connections
59
County
Lehigh
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
4
Monitoring Violations
42
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Groundwater Rule MR 16 2024
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 5 1992
Coliform (TCR) MCL 4 1999
Coliform (TCR) MR 3 2002
Chlorine MR 2 2018
Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule MR 2 2008
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 1 2000
Methoxychlor MR 1 1982
Toxaphene MR 1 1982
Fluoride MR 1 1982
2,4-D MR 1 1982
Chromium MR 1 1982
Cadmium MR 1 1982
Endrin MR 1 1982
Selenium MR 1 1982
Mercury MR 1 1982
Arsenic MR 1 1982
2,4,5-TP MR 1 1982
Nitrate MR 1 1982
BHC-GAMMA MR 1 1982
Barium MR 1 1982

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 Desales University.

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 PA3390093 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 Desales University 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
2024 Groundwater Rule MR 16 SDWIS / PA3390093 / 0700
2018 Chlorine MR 2 SDWIS / PA3390093 / 0999
2008 Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule MR 2 SDWIS / PA3390093 / 0600
2002 Coliform (TCR) MR 3 SDWIS / PA3390093 / 3100
2000 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 1 SDWIS / PA3390093 / 7000
1999 Coliform (TCR) MCL 4 SDWIS / PA3390093 / 3100
1992 Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 5 SDWIS / PA3390093 / 4000
1982 Methoxychlor MR 1 SDWIS / PA3390093 / 2015
1982 Toxaphene MR 1 SDWIS / PA3390093 / 2020
1982 Fluoride MR 1 SDWIS / PA3390093 / 1025
1982 2,4-D MR 1 SDWIS / PA3390093 / 2105
1982 Chromium MR 1 SDWIS / PA3390093 / 1020
1982 Cadmium MR 1 SDWIS / PA3390093 / 1015
1982 Endrin MR 1 SDWIS / PA3390093 / 2005
1982 Selenium MR 1 SDWIS / PA3390093 / 1045

How Desales University Compares

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

Metric Desales University Pennsylvania avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 54 150.6 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 4 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 2,000 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 Desales University water safe to drink? ▼
Desales University (PWS ID: PA3390093) has 54 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 2,000 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Desales University serve? ▼
Desales University serves 2,000 people in Center Valley, Pennsylvania. It is a Public/Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 59 service connections.
What type of violations does Desales University have? ▼
Desales University has 54 total violations: 4 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 42 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Desales University water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Desales University under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Desales University use? ▼
Desales University uses Groundwater as its primary water source. It is classified as a Community Water System (CWS), serving residential populations year-round.
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.