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Carbon County Correctional Fac

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
125 people
Connections
2
Water source
Groundwater
Based in
Nesquehoning, PA
County
Carbon
Owner
Local government
The ZIP code it serves

18240

The short answer

2 results are above EPA’s legal limit, 1 more is above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029, and 1 more is above the health goal. The worst: Copper, above the action level. 4 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 13, 2025 to Aug. 13, 2026.

Lead and copper: EPA SDWIS monitoring periods ending 2022.

Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), nitrate, arsenic, chromium (total), fluoride, haloacetic acids (HAA5) and uranium: Pennsylvania’s own results, samples taken from May 7, 2020 to May 14, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.

PFAS: PFOA, PFOS and PFNA were found, of the six PFAS in EPA’s 2024 drinking water rule; their results are below. Four other PFAS with no federal limit were found, the highest PFPeA at 46 ppt: see them below.

EPA’s 2024 PFAS rule, compound by compound

PFASEPA’s limitResult
PFOA4.0 pptAbove EPA’s new limit (2029)8.7 ppt highest, found in 7 of 7 samples. Details
PFOS4.0 pptAbove the health goal0.68 ppt highest, found in 4 of 7 samples. Details
PFHxS10 pptNot foundNot found in any of 7 samples
PFNA10 pptBelow EPA’s limits1.4 ppt highest, found in 5 of 7 samples. Details
HFPO-DA (GenX)10 pptNot foundNot found in any of 7 samples
PFBSIndex onlyNot foundNot found in any of 7 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 limit2

Copper

Comes from pipes, often your own

Above the action level

2.5ppm

90th percentile, 2022

In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 2.5 ppm, above EPA’s action level of 1.3 ppm.

What handles it

Lead

Comes from pipes, often your own

Above the action level

26.7ppb

90th percentile, 2023

In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 26.7 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 20291

PFOA

Comes from the source

Above EPA’s new limit (2029)

8.7ppt

Highest sample, April 10, 2025; found in 7 of 7

2026 average: 6.0 ppt

The highest sample was 8.7 ppt, about twice 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 6.5 ppt, for the year to March 31, 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 three samples averaged 6.0 ppt.

What handles it

Above the health goal1

PFOS

Comes from the source

Above the health goal

0.68ppt

Highest sample, April 10, 2025; found in 4 of 7

2026 average: 0.38 ppt

The highest sample was 0.68 ppt: below EPA’s new limit of 4.0 ppt, which takes effect in 2029, but above its health goal of zero. Averaged over four quarters at one entry point, the way both Pennsylvania’s limit and EPA’s are judged, the highest was 0.31 ppt, for the year to Dec. 31, 2025: 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 three samples averaged 0.38 ppt.

What handles it

Below EPA’s limits3

PFNA

Comes from the source

Below EPA’s limits

1.4ppt

Highest sample, April 10, 2025; found in 5 of 7

2026 average: 0.91 ppt

The highest sample was 1.4 ppt, below EPA’s new limit of 10 ppt, which takes effect in 2029. Averaged over four quarters at one entry point, the way EPA’s limit is judged, the highest was 0.69 ppt, for the year to Sept. 30, 2026: below EPA’s new limit of 10 ppt. In 2026, the latest year on file, its three samples averaged 0.91 ppt.

What handles it

Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)

Forms or is added in treatment

Below EPA’s limits

5.2ppb

Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2024

2024: not found

Averaged by year, the highest was 5.2 ppb, in 2021, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. In 2024, the latest year on file, it wasn’t found in its one sample.

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

0.18ppm

Highest sample; found in 4 of 7

2026, one sample: 0.15 ppm

The highest sample, in 2022, was 0.18 ppm, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. In 2026, the latest year on file, its one sample was 0.15 ppm.

What handles it

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

Also found, with no federal limit

EPA measured these PFAS to learn how often they occur. None has a legal limit or a health goal yet.

CompoundHighest sampleFound inCertification claim
PFPeA46 ppt1 of 1None covers it
PFHxA27 ppt1 of 1None covers it
PFBA14 ppt1 of 1None covers it
PFHpA10 ppt1 of 1NSF/ANSI 53: Total PFAS Reduction
23 compounds tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.

From routine monitoring

  • Arsenic
  • Chromium (total)
  • Fluoride
  • Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
  • Uranium

PFAS, from Pennsylvania’s own monitoring

  • 11Cl-PF3OUdS
  • 4:2 FTS
  • 6:2 FTS
  • 8:2 FTS
  • 9Cl-PF3ONS
  • ADONA
  • HFPO-DA (GenX)
  • NFDHA
  • PFBS
  • PFDA
  • PFDoA
  • PFEESA
  • PFHpS
  • PFHxS
  • PFMBA
  • PFMPA
  • PFPeS
  • PFUnA

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: Copper Reduction, Lead Reduction, PFOA Reduction, PFOS Reduction

    For: Copper, Lead, PFOA, PFOS

    Other certifiers’ wording: Total PFAS Reduction; Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA); Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)

  • NSF/ANSI 58

    Claims: Copper Reduction, Lead Reduction, Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)

    For: Copper, Lead, PFOA, PFOS

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

Violations since 2016

Contaminant or ruleTypePeriodMeasuredStatus
Lead and Copper RuleA required study or plan for corrosion control was not done on time.EPA: OCCT/SOWT Study/RecommendationApril 1, 2025—Unaddressed
Groundwater RuleRequired treatment for surface water or groundwater was not met.EPA: Treatment Technique (SWTR and GWR)Sept. 1, 2021 to Sept. 30, 2021—Resolved
Groundwater RuleRequired treatment for surface water or groundwater was not met.EPA: Treatment Technique (SWTR and GWR)July 1, 2020 to July 31, 2020—Resolved
Groundwater RuleRequired treatment for surface water or groundwater was not met.EPA: Treatment Technique (SWTR and GWR)Oct. 1, 2018 to Oct. 31, 2018—Resolved
Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 44 monitoring or reporting violations not shown.

What this report can’t tell you

  • Everything else. Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), nitrate, arsenic, chromium (total), fluoride, haloacetic acids (HAA5) and uranium results here are Pennsylvania’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Carbon County Correctional Fac’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 May 7, 2020 to May 14, 2026; Pennsylvania’s PFAS results run from March 13, 2025 to Aug. 13, 2026.

Testing your own tap

Carbon County Correctional Fac’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 Carbon County Correctional Fac serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.

  • HawkMtn Labs Inc

    Hazle Township, PA · about 11 miles

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

    (570) 455-6011

  • Eurofins Drinking Water and Wastewater Northeast, LLC

    Pottsville, PA · about 25 miles

    Certified for bacteria

    (570) 662-7315

  • ABE Laboratories LLC

    Bath, PA · about 25 miles

    Certified for bacteria, nitrate, minerals and other inorganics

    (610) 837-7721

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 PA3130049. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.

Towns it serves

Also in Carbon County

All Pennsylvania utilities

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