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Community Water System · PWS PA6610023

Oil City

Oil City, Pennsylvania 16301 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 9,608 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

9,608
People served
83
EPA violations
8
Health-based
No PFAS
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 83 drinking-water violations at Oil City, 10% of them health-based - below the Pennsylvania per-system average.

83
Total EPA violations on record
10%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
9,608
People served by this system
0
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Oil City

Oil City is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 9,608 residents in Oil City, Pennsylvania (Venango County) through 4,527 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 83 total violations for this system , of which 8 (10%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 64 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2014.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Chlorine, recorded in 18 violations (MR). This system was sampled under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program and no PFAS compounds were detected above the minimum reporting level.

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%).

Oil City's 83 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
9,608
Total Violations
83
Health-Based Violations
8
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
4,527
County
Venango
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
8
Monitoring Violations
64
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Chlorine MR 18 2009
Coliform (TCR) MR 9 2009
Coliform (TCR) MCL 8 2014
Public Notice Other 4 2010
Nitrate MR 2 2004
Radium-226 MR 2 2011
Radium-228 MR 2 2011
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 2 1994
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 2 1994
Carbon tetrachloride MR 2 1994
Benzene MR 2 1994
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 2 1994
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 2 1994
Trichloroethylene MR 2 1994
Combined Uranium MR 2 2011
Vinyl chloride MR 1 1991
Xylenes, Total MR 1 1994
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 1 1994
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 1 1994
Tetrachloroethylene MR 1 1994
CHLOROBENZENE MR 1 1994
Toluene MR 1 1994
Ethylbenzene MR 1 1994
Styrene MR 1 1994
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 1976
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 1 1994
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 1 1994
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 1 1994
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 1 1994
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 1 1994

PFAS Testing Results (UCMR5)

Results from EPA's Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule. 0 of 29 samples detected PFAS.

Contaminant Date Result MRL Status
NMeFOSAA 4/24/2025 <6.00 ppt 6.00 ppt Not Detected
PFTA 4/24/2025 <8.00 ppt 8.00 ppt Not Detected
NEtFOSAA 4/24/2025 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
PFTrDA 4/24/2025 <7.00 ppt 7.00 ppt Not Detected
PFMPA 3/25/2025 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected
PFPeA 3/25/2025 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFMBA 3/25/2025 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFEESA 3/25/2025 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
NFDHA 3/25/2025 <20.00 ppt 20.00 ppt Not Detected
PFPeS 3/25/2025 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected
PFHpS 3/25/2025 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
6:2 FTS 3/25/2025 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
4:2 FTS 3/25/2025 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFDA 3/25/2025 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFHpA 3/25/2025 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFBS 3/25/2025 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFNA 3/25/2025 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected
8:2 FTS 3/25/2025 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
PFOA 3/25/2025 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected
PFHxS 3/25/2025 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFDoA 3/25/2025 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFHxA 3/25/2025 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFUnA 3/25/2025 <2.00 ppt 2.00 ppt Not Detected
11Cl-PF3OUdS 3/25/2025 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
9Cl-PF3ONS 3/25/2025 <2.00 ppt 2.00 ppt Not Detected
ADONA 3/25/2025 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
HFPO-DA 3/25/2025 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
PFBA 3/25/2025 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
PFOS 3/25/2025 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected

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 Oil City.

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 PA6610023 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 Oil City 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
2014 Coliform (TCR) MCL 8 SDWIS / PA6610023 / 3100
2011 Radium-226 MR 2 SDWIS / PA6610023 / 4020
2011 Radium-228 MR 2 SDWIS / PA6610023 / 4030
2011 Combined Uranium MR 2 SDWIS / PA6610023 / 4006
2010 Public Notice Other 4 SDWIS / PA6610023 / 7500
2009 Chlorine MR 18 SDWIS / PA6610023 / 0999
2009 Coliform (TCR) MR 9 SDWIS / PA6610023 / 3100
2004 Nitrate MR 2 SDWIS / PA6610023 / 1040
1994 1,2-Dichloroethane MR 2 SDWIS / PA6610023 / 2980
1994 1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 2 SDWIS / PA6610023 / 2981
1994 Carbon tetrachloride MR 2 SDWIS / PA6610023 / 2982
1994 Benzene MR 2 SDWIS / PA6610023 / 2990
1994 p-Dichlorobenzene MR 2 SDWIS / PA6610023 / 2969
1994 1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 2 SDWIS / PA6610023 / 2977
1994 Trichloroethylene MR 2 SDWIS / PA6610023 / 2984

How Oil City Compares

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

Metric Oil City Pennsylvania avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 83 150.6 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 8 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 9,608 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 Oil City water safe to drink? ▼
Oil City (PWS ID: PA6610023) has 83 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 9,608 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Oil City serve? ▼
Oil City serves 9,608 people in Oil City, Pennsylvania. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 4,527 service connections.
What type of violations does Oil City have? ▼
Oil City has 83 total violations: 8 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 64 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Oil City water? ▼
No. Oil City was tested for PFAS under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program and no PFAS contamination was detected.
What water source does Oil City use? ▼
Oil City 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. PFAS data from EPA UCMR5 monitoring program (2023-2025). 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.