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Aqua PA Jefferson Heights

What EPA’s and Pennsylvania’s records show in this utility’s water: PFAS; nitrate, arsenic and other regulated chemicals; lead and copper; and violations since 2016, with the certification that handles each result.

Serves
556 people
Connections
180
Water source
Groundwater
Based in
White Haven, PA
County
Lackawanna
Owner
Private
The ZIP code it serves

18436

The short answer

1 result is above EPA’s legal limit, 2 more are above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029, and 2 more are above the health goal. The worst: Lead, above the action level. 2 health-based violations since 2016.

What handles it

What was found

PFAS: Pennsylvania’s own results under its PFAS rule, entry point samples taken from March 18, 2024 to Aug. 17, 2026.

Lead and copper: EPA SDWIS monitoring periods ending 1993 to 1996.

Uranium, arsenic, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), nitrate, haloacetic acids (HAA5), chromium (total) and fluoride: Pennsylvania’s own results, samples taken from June 18, 2020 to Aug. 12, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.

PFAS: PFOA and PFOS were found, of the six PFAS in EPA’s 2024 drinking water rule; their results are below.

EPA’s 2024 PFAS rule, compound by compound

PFASEPA’s limitResult
PFOA4.0 pptAbove EPA’s new limit (2029)5.6 ppt highest, found in 11 of 15 samples. Details
PFOS4.0 pptAbove EPA’s new limit (2029)5.3 ppt highest, found in 9 of 15 samples. Details
PFHxS10 pptNot foundNot found in any of 13 samples
PFNA10 pptNot foundNot found in any of 13 samples
HFPO-DA (GenX)10 pptNot foundNot found in any of 13 samples
PFBSIndex onlyNot foundNot found in any of 13 samples
Results from Pennsylvania’s own PFAS monitoring, samples where water enters the pipes; each compound’s card has its four-quarter averages, the way limits are judged. The limits are EPA’s 2024 rule, with compliance due from 2029; EPA has since proposed changes to some of them, explained on each compound’s page. Pennsylvania’s own limits for PFOA and PFOS are in force now. PFBS has no limit of its own and counts only toward EPA’s Hazard Index, which TapBuff works out only from UCMR 5’s averages, so it isn’t given here.

About PFAS certifications

NSF’s PFAS claims are tested to below 20 ppt. EPA’s limit is 4.0 ppt, and EPA says no certification yet shows a filter reaching its levels.

Above the legal limit1

Lead

Comes from pipes, often your own

Above the action level

26ppb

90th percentile, 1996

In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 26 ppb, above EPA’s action level of 15 ppb. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027, and this result is at or above that. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.

What handles it

Above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 20292

PFOA

Comes from the source

Above EPA’s new limit (2029)

5.6ppt

Highest sample, April 21, 2026; found in 11 of 15

2026 average: 2.5 ppt

The highest sample was 5.6 ppt, above EPA’s new limit of 4.0 ppt, which takes effect in 2029. EPA’s health goal is zero. Compliance will be judged on a running annual average, not one sample. Averaged over four quarters at one entry point, the way both Pennsylvania’s limit and EPA’s are judged, the highest was 4.8 ppt, for the year to June 30, 2026: below Pennsylvania’s limit of 14 ppt and above EPA’s new limit of 4.0 ppt. In 2026, the latest year on file, its four samples averaged 2.5 ppt.

What handles it

PFOS

Comes from the source

Above EPA’s new limit (2029)

5.3ppt

Highest sample, March 18, 2024; found in 9 of 15

2026 average: 2.3 ppt

The highest sample was 5.3 ppt, above EPA’s new limit of 4.0 ppt, which takes effect in 2029. EPA’s health goal is zero. Compliance will be judged on a running annual average, not one sample. Averaged over four quarters at one entry point, the way both Pennsylvania’s limit and EPA’s are judged, the highest was 3.9 ppt, for the year to June 30, 2026: below Pennsylvania’s limit of 18 ppt and below EPA’s new limit of 4.0 ppt. In 2026, the latest year on file, its four samples averaged 2.3 ppt.

What handles it

Above the health goal2

Uranium

Comes from the source

Above the health goal

4.0ppb

Highest yearly average, 2022 to 2025

2025: not found

Averaged by year, the highest was 4.0 ppb, in 2022: below EPA’s legal limit of 30 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. In 2025, the latest year on file, it wasn’t found in its one sample. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 2.7 ppb, in 2013.

What handles it

Arsenic

Comes from the source

Above the health goal

1.3ppb

Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2024

Averaged by year, the highest was 1.3 ppb, in 2024: below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. Its highest single sample was 1.6 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 1.2 ppb, in 2018.

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction”
  • NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction”

Below EPA’s limits4

Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)

Forms or is added in treatment

Below EPA’s limits

21.3ppb

Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2026

Averaged by year, the highest was 21.3 ppb, in 2026, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. Its highest single sample was 26 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 21.9 ppb, in 2018.

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
  • NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”

Nitrate

Comes from the source

Below EPA’s limits

1.4ppm

Highest sample; found in 1 of 18

2026: not found

The highest sample, in 2021, was 1.4 ppm, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. In 2026, the latest year on file, it wasn’t found in any of its two samples. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 1.1 ppm, in 2016.

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
  • NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”

Haloacetic acids (HAA5)

Forms or is added in treatment

Below EPA’s limits

6.8ppb

Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2026

Averaged by year, the highest was 6.8 ppb, in 2026, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. Its highest single sample was 8.1 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 2.6 ppb, in 2015.

What handles it

No certification claim covers this compound yet.

Chromium (total)

Comes from the source

Below EPA’s limits

0.33ppb

Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2024

2024: not found

Averaged by year, the highest was 0.33 ppb, in 2021, below EPA’s legal limit of 100 ppb. Its highest single sample was 0.98 ppb. In 2024, the latest year on file, it wasn’t found in any of its two samples. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 3.6 ppb, in 2018.

What handles it

5 compounds tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.

From routine monitoring

  • Fluoride

PFAS, from Pennsylvania’s own monitoring

  • HFPO-DA (GenX)
  • PFBS
  • PFHxS
  • PFNA

What handles it

A certification covers specific claims, not a whole standard. Look for these claims on the certifier’s listing, not the box. Wording varies a little: NSF writes “Lead Reduction,” WQA just “Lead.”

  • NSF/ANSI 53

    Claims: Lead Reduction, PFOA Reduction, PFOS Reduction, Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction

    For: Lead, PFOA, PFOS, Arsenic

    Other certifiers’ wording: Total PFAS Reduction; Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA); Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS); Arsenic (III) (50 ppb influent level)

  • NSF/ANSI 58

    Claims: Lead Reduction, Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS), Uranium, Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction

    For: Lead, PFOA, PFOS, Uranium, Arsenic

    Other certifiers’ wording: Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=300 ppb Reduction; Arsenic (V) (300 ppb influent level)

At the tap, or for the whole house?

Lead and copper usually come from pipes and fixtures inside or near your home. A whole-house system sits where water enters, so it cannot catch what your own plumbing adds after it. For those, the filter that counts is the one at the tap. How whole-house systems compare.

Filters with those claims on a certifier’s listing

Disclosure: TapBuff earns a commission if you buy through some links on this page. It does not change which standard or filter we name. As an Amazon Associate, TapBuff earns from qualifying purchases. How TapBuff makes money

Compare five-year costs

The best water filters for lead, ranked

The best water filters for PFAS, ranked

The best reverse osmosis systems, ranked

Violations since 2016

Contaminant or ruleTypePeriodMeasuredStatus
Revised Total Coliform RuleColiform results required a check of the system, and the check or its fixes were not done on time.EPA: Treatment Technique, Level 1 Assessment (RTCR)Nov. 12, 2019—Resolved
Groundwater RuleRequired treatment for surface water or groundwater was not met.EPA: Treatment Technique (SWTR and GWR)Jan. 1, 2017 to Jan. 31, 2017—Resolved
Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 7 monitoring or reporting violations not shown.

What this report can’t tell you

  • Everything else. Uranium, arsenic, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), nitrate, haloacetic acids (HAA5), chromium (total) and fluoride results here are Pennsylvania’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Aqua PA Jefferson Heights’s own annual report, which it must send you every year, has the contaminants this page does not show.

  • Your own plumbing. Lead results are the 90th percentile across homes the utility samples. Your home’s service line, solder and fixtures decide yours. A certified lab test is the only way to know.

  • What it means for your health. This page reports what the records show and EPA’s limits and goals; it is not medical advice. If you are worried about a health effect, talk to a doctor or your local health department.

  • Anything after the latest data. SDWIS data is from 2026 Q3; UCMR 5 didn’t sample this utility; Pennsylvania’s results run from June 18, 2020 to Aug. 12, 2026; Pennsylvania’s PFAS results run from March 18, 2024 to Aug. 17, 2026.

Testing your own tap

Aqua PA Jefferson Heights’s results are for the water it sends out. What your own service line, solder and fixtures add shows up only in a test of your tap, by a lab Pennsylvania certifies.

The 3 labs Pennsylvania certifies closest to the area Aqua PA Jefferson Heights serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.

  • Princeton Analytical Labs

    Dunmore, PA · about 13 miles

    Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics

    (570) 209-7916

  • Microbac Laboratories, Inc. - Pittston

    Pittston, PA · about 21 miles

    Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts

    (570) 348-0775

  • A E Kirby Memorial Health Center

    Wilkes-Barre, PA · about 29 miles

    Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics

    (570) 822-4278

Penn State Agricultural Analytical Services Laboratory: Drinking water test kits from many county Extension offices, mailed back to the lab overnight with payment. Packages cover bacteria and basic chemistry, with add-ons for nitrate, metals, lead, and mining or gas drilling concerns. The standard package of bacteria, pH and total dissolved solids is $60, or $70 with nitrate; bacteria alone is $40, nitrate $15 and lead $25. Drinking Water Testing, Penn State Agricultural Analytical Services Lab.

All 108 certified labs for Pennsylvania

Sources

PWSID PA2350057. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.

Towns it serves

Also in Lackawanna County

All Pennsylvania utilities

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