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Community Water System · PWS PA3480059

Portland Boro Authority

Portland, Pennsylvania 18351 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 1,100 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

1,100
People served
287
EPA violations
16
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 287 drinking-water violations at Portland Boro Authority, 6% of them health-based - above the Pennsylvania per-system average.

287
Total EPA violations on record
6%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
1,100
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Portland Boro Authority

Portland Boro Authority is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 1,100 residents in Portland, Pennsylvania (Northampton County) through 410 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 287 total violations for this system , of which 16 (6%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 231 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2022.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Nitrate, recorded in 12 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%).

Portland Boro Authority's 287 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
1,100
Total Violations
287
Health-Based Violations
16
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
410
County
Northampton
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
9
Monitoring Violations
231
Treatment Tech Violations
7

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Nitrate MR 12 2022
Arsenic MR 9 2021
Barium MR 9 2021
Cadmium MR 9 2021
Fluoride MR 9 2021
Nickel MR 9 2021
Antimony, Total MR 9 2021
Chromium MR 9 2021
CYANIDE MR 9 2021
Mercury MR 9 2021
Beryllium, Total MR 9 2021
Thallium, Total MR 9 2021
Selenium MR 9 2021
Coliform (TCR) MCL 9 2007
Chlorine MR 6 2016
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 5 2004
Groundwater Rule MR 5 2011
Groundwater Rule TT 5 2014
Public Notice Other 4 2011
Nitrite MR 4 2022
Xylenes, Total MR 4 1997
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 4 1997
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 4 1997
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 4 1997
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 4 1997
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 4 1997
Trichloroethylene MR 4 1997
CHLOROBENZENE MR 4 1997
Benzene MR 4 1997
Toluene MR 4 1997

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 Portland Boro Authority.

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 PA3480059 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 Portland Boro Authority 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
2022 Nitrate MR 12 SDWIS / PA3480059 / 1040
2022 Nitrite MR 4 SDWIS / PA3480059 / 1041
2021 Arsenic MR 9 SDWIS / PA3480059 / 1005
2021 Barium MR 9 SDWIS / PA3480059 / 1010
2021 Cadmium MR 9 SDWIS / PA3480059 / 1015
2021 Fluoride MR 9 SDWIS / PA3480059 / 1025
2021 Nickel MR 9 SDWIS / PA3480059 / 1036
2021 Antimony, Total MR 9 SDWIS / PA3480059 / 1074
2021 Chromium MR 9 SDWIS / PA3480059 / 1020
2021 CYANIDE MR 9 SDWIS / PA3480059 / 1024
2021 Mercury MR 9 SDWIS / PA3480059 / 1035
2021 Beryllium, Total MR 9 SDWIS / PA3480059 / 1075
2021 Thallium, Total MR 9 SDWIS / PA3480059 / 1085
2021 Selenium MR 9 SDWIS / PA3480059 / 1045
2016 Chlorine MR 6 SDWIS / PA3480059 / 0999

How Portland Boro Authority Compares

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

Metric Portland Boro Authority Pennsylvania avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 287 150.6 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 16 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 1,100 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 Portland Boro Authority water safe to drink? ▼
Portland Boro Authority (PWS ID: PA3480059) has 287 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 1,100 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Portland Boro Authority serve? ▼
Portland Boro Authority serves 1,100 people in Portland, Pennsylvania. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 410 service connections.
What type of violations does Portland Boro Authority have? ▼
Portland Boro Authority has 287 total violations: 16 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 231 monitoring/reporting violations, and 7 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Portland Boro Authority water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Portland Boro Authority under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Portland Boro Authority use? ▼
Portland Boro Authority 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.