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BOROUGH OF HOWARD

PWS ID: PA4140080 · HOWARD, Pennsylvania 16841

BOROUGH OF HOWARD serves 1,001 people in HOWARD, Pennsylvania using Groundwater water sources. It has 392 recorded EPA violations, including 1 health-based violations. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing.

Water Quality Snapshot: BOROUGH OF HOWARD

BOROUGH OF HOWARD is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 1,001 residents in HOWARD, Pennsylvania (Centre County) through 415 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 392 total violations for this system , of which 1 (0%) are health-based — meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 381 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 Benzo(a)pyrene, recorded in 14 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. BOROUGH OF HOWARD's 392 violations sit above the Pennsylvania average. Statewide, 224 of 389 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (57.6%). 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
1,001
Total Violations
392
Health-Based Violations
1
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
415
County
Centre
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
381
Treatment Tech Violations
1

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Benzo(a)pyrene MR 14 2024
Methoxychlor MR 11 2011
Toxaphene MR 11 2011
2,4-D MR 11 2011
BHC-GAMMA MR 11 2011
2,4,5-TP MR 11 2011
TTHM MR 11 2023
Endrin MR 11 2011
Diquat MR 10 2011
Endothall MR 10 2011
Glyphosate MR 10 2011
Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 10 2011
Simazine MR 10 2011
Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate MR 10 2011
Picloram MR 10 2011
Hexachlorocyclopentadiene MR 10 2011
Carbofuran MR 10 2011
LASSO MR 10 2011
Heptachlor MR 10 2011
Heptachlor epoxide MR 10 2011
HEXACHLOROBENZENE MR 10 2011
Chlordane MR 10 2011
OXAMYL MR 10 2011
Dinoseb MR 10 2011
1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE MR 10 2011
ETHYLENE DIBROMIDE MR 10 2011
Pentachlorophenol MR 10 2011
Atrazine MR 10 2011
Dalapon MR 10 2011
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 8 2023

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 BOROUGH OF HOWARD.

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 PA4140080 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 BOROUGH OF HOWARD 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 Benzo(a)pyrene MR 14 SDWIS / PA4140080 / 2306
2024 Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 8 SDWIS / PA4140080 / 4000
2024 Groundwater Rule MR 4 SDWIS / PA4140080 / 0700
2024 Radium-226 MR 4 SDWIS / PA4140080 / 4020
2024 Radium-228 MR 4 SDWIS / PA4140080 / 4030
2023 TTHM MR 11 SDWIS / PA4140080 / 2950
2023 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 8 SDWIS / PA4140080 / 2456
2020 Total Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) MR 6 SDWIS / PA4140080 / 2383
2020 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 1 SDWIS / PA4140080 / 7000
2016 Coliform (TCR) MR 5 SDWIS / PA4140080 / 3100
2011 Methoxychlor MR 11 SDWIS / PA4140080 / 2015
2011 Toxaphene MR 11 SDWIS / PA4140080 / 2020
2011 2,4-D MR 11 SDWIS / PA4140080 / 2105
2011 BHC-GAMMA MR 11 SDWIS / PA4140080 / 2010
2011 2,4,5-TP MR 11 SDWIS / PA4140080 / 2110

How BOROUGH OF HOWARD Compares

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

Metric BOROUGH OF HOWARD Pennsylvania avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 392 150.6 SDWA compliance — any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 1 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 1,001 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
Nitrate (as N) 10 mg/L Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is BOROUGH OF HOWARD water safe to drink? ▼
BOROUGH OF HOWARD (PWS ID: PA4140080) has 392 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 1,001 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does BOROUGH OF HOWARD serve? ▼
BOROUGH OF HOWARD serves 1,001 people in HOWARD, Pennsylvania. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 415 service connections.
What type of violations does BOROUGH OF HOWARD have? ▼
BOROUGH OF HOWARD has 392 total violations: 1 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 381 monitoring/reporting violations, and 1 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in BOROUGH OF HOWARD water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for BOROUGH OF HOWARD under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does BOROUGH OF HOWARD use? ▼
BOROUGH OF HOWARD 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.

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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.

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