Blacklick Valley Muni Auth
What EPA’s and Pennsylvania’s records show in this utility’s water: nitrate, arsenic and other regulated chemicals; lead and copper; and violations since 2016, with the certification that handles each result.
- Serves
- 1,650 people
- Connections
- 763
- Water source
- Surface water bought from another system
- Based in
- Twin Rocks, PA
- County
- Cambria
- Owner
- Local government
The short answer
3 results are above EPA’s legal limit. The worst: Lead, above the action level. 10 health-based violations since 2016.
What handles itWhat was found
Lead and copper: EPA SDWIS monitoring periods ending 2003 to 2016.
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) and haloacetic acids (HAA5): Pennsylvania’s own results, samples taken from Feb. 12, 2020 to Aug. 12, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Above the legal limit3
Lead
Comes from pipes, often your own
17ppb
90th percentile, 2016
In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 17 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
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Lead Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Lead Reduction”
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Forms or is added in treatment
74.9ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
Averaged by year, the highest was 74.9 ppb, in 2026, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. Its highest single sample was 112 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. EPA judges this limit at each sampling point, and recorded a violation for total trihalomethanes (TTHM) at this utility in 2026. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 73.5 ppb, in 2013.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Forms or is added in treatment
48.8ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026 average: 39.3 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 48.8 ppb, in 2020, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. Its highest single sample was 131 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its six samples averaged 39.3 ppb. EPA judges this limit at each sampling point, and recorded violations for haloacetic acids (HAA5) at this utility in 2020 and 2026. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 61 ppb, in 2019, and EPA recorded violations in 2015, 2016 and 2019.
What handles it
No certification claim covers this compound yet.
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, Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction
For: Lead, Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Other certifiers’ wording: VOC Reduction
- NSF/ANSI 58
Claims: Lead Reduction, Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction
For: Lead, Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
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
Aquasana Clean Water Machine (AQ-CWM2)
Countertop
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Lead, Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Brita Hub Countertop Water Filter System (87340)
Countertop
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 53checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Lead, Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Ninja HydraSense Countertop Water Filtration System (WF1001)
Countertop
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Lead, Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
PUR PLUS Faucet Filtration System, Horizontal (PFM400H)
Faucet mount
- NSF listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
Certified for: Lead, Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Brita Elite Water Filter Faucet System (SAFF-100/FF-100)
Faucet mount
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
Certified for: Lead, Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Violations since 2016
| Contaminant or rule | Type | Period | Measured | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2026 to June 30, 2026 | 0.063 MG/L | Archived |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2026 to June 30, 2026 | 0.083 MG/L | Archived |
| Surface Water Treatment Rule | Required treatment for surface water or groundwater was not met.EPA: Treatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) | Aug. 1, 2025 | — | Resolved |
| Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Oct. 1, 2020 to Dec. 31, 2020 | 0.069 MG/L | Resolved |
| Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | July 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2020 | 0.096 MG/L | Archived |
| Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020 | 0.1 MG/L | Resolved |
| Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Jan. 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 | 0.096 MG/L | Archived |
| Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Oct. 1, 2019 to Dec. 31, 2019 | 0.077 MG/L | Resolved |
| Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2016 to June 30, 2016 | — | Resolved |
| Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Jan. 1, 2016 to March 31, 2016 | — | Resolved |
| Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 12 monitoring or reporting violations not shown. | ||||
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) and haloacetic acids (HAA5) results here are Pennsylvania’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Blacklick Valley Muni Auth’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 Feb. 12, 2020 to Aug. 12, 2026.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs Pennsylvania certifies closest to the area Blacklick Valley Muni Auth serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Cardan Laboratories Inc
Northern Cambria, PA · about 11 miles
Certified for bacteria
Chemstream Lab Services
Homer City, PA · about 12 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, radioactivity
Pace Analytical Services, LLC-Indiana
Indiana, PA · about 18 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts
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 PennsylvaniaSources
- EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data, file of Oct. 15, 2026
- EPA SDWA bulk download (SDWIS federal data), 2026 Q3
- Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Drinking Water Reporting System, results from Jan. 2, 2020 to Oct. 8, 2026, read Oct. 17, 2026
- EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, file of Feb. 5, 2024
- Certified labs: Pennsylvania DEP Laboratory Accreditation Program, accredited labs for drinking water, read Oct. 11, 2026; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer
- Limits and goals: each contaminant’s page, with its EPA source.
- How this page is built: methodology.
PWSID PA4110077. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
What to do next
- Read up on the 3 results above a lineWhat each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.Start with Lead
- Get the utility’s own reportBlacklick Valley Muni Auth must send you a water quality report every year. It covers contaminants this page does not show.How to read it
- Test your own tap for leadYour service line, solder and fixtures decide the lead at your faucet, not the utility’s average.Lead in your water: what to do
- Compare certified filtersWhat the filters certified for these results cost over five years, cartridges included.Compare five-year costs