MT Penn Boro Muni AuthWater quality report

Standards for what was found here

5358
Serves
10,400
Connections
3,700
Water source
Groundwater
Based in
Reading, PA
County
Berks
Owner
Local government
The ZIP code it serves

19606

PWSID PA3060082 · EPA data

Read this first

  • PFOS was found in two of 4 samples, highest 5.7 ppt. Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.
  • Lead In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 3.4 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.

No health-based violations on file since 2016. EPA lists 9 monitoring or reporting violations, which are paperwork and testing lapses rather than water quality findings.

What handles it

What was found, stop by stop

  • Below the health goal
  • Above the health goal
  • Above the legal limit
  • No federal data
  1. At the source

    EPA UCMR 5 sampled this utility for 29 PFAS and lithium from Dec. 4, 2024 to July 15, 2025. Each tick under a result’s line is one sample where it was found, dated when you point at it.

    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.

  2. PFOS

    Above the legal limit

    5.7ppt

    Highest of 4 samples; found in two

    Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.

    • NSF/ANSI 53 · Look for: PFOS ReductionSame claim, other certifiers’ wording: Total PFAS Reduction; Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)

    • NSF/ANSI 58 · Look for: Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)

  3. Lithium

    Below the benchmark

    9.5ppb

    Highest of 4 samples; found in two

    Below EPA’s health reference level of 10 ppb. Lithium has no legal limit or health goal of its own.

    What handles it: No certification claim covers this compound yet.

  4. PFNA

    Below the health goal

    7.7ppt

    Highest of 4 samples; found in two

    Detected, below the legal limit and the health goal.

    • NSF/ANSI 53 · Look for: Total PFAS ReductionSame claim, other certifiers’ wording: Perfluorononanoic Acid (PFNA)

  5. In treatment

    No federal results for this stop. Disinfection byproduct, chlorine and fluoride levels are in MT Penn Boro Muni Auth’s own annual report, which it must send you every year.

  6. In the pipes

    Lead and copper, from the homes the utility samples. Your own service line, solder and fixtures decide yours.

  7. Lead

    Above the health goal

    3.4ppb

    90th percentile, 2025

    In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 3.4 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.

    EPA SDWIS, lead and copper monitoring periods ending 2004 to 2025. The line stops at the latest period; each tick under it is an earlier one.

  8. At your tap

    The last stretch is your own plumbing. A certified lab test is the only way to know what reaches your glass. Lead in your water: what to do

Tested and not found

Below EPA’s minimum reporting level in every sample taken from Dec. 4, 2024 to July 15, 2025. Not found means not measured above that level, which is not the same as zero.

All 27 compounds tested and not found
  • 11Cl-PF3OUdS
  • 4:2 FTS
  • 6:2 FTS
  • 8:2 FTS
  • 9Cl-PF3ONS
  • ADONA
  • HFPO-DA (GenX)
  • NEtFOSAA
  • NFDHA
  • NMeFOSAA
  • PFBA
  • PFBS
  • PFDA
  • PFDoA
  • PFEESA
  • PFHpA
  • PFHpS
  • PFHxA
  • PFHxS
  • PFMBA
  • PFMPA
  • PFOA
  • PFPeA
  • PFPeS
  • PFTA
  • PFTrDA
  • PFUnA

Violations since 2016

No health-based violations on file with EPA since 2016. There are 9 monitoring or reporting violations: a sample missed, late or not reported.

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: PFOS Reduction, Lead Reduction

    For: PFOS, Lead

  • NSF/ANSI 58

    Claims: Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS), Lead Reduction

    For: PFOS, Lead

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.

Compare five-year costs

Filters with those claims on a certifier’s listing

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

What this report cannot tell you

  • Levels of everything else. Federal bulk data carries results for PFAS, lithium, lead and copper, and violations for the rest. Nitrate, arsenic, disinfection byproducts and other levels are in MT Penn Boro Muni Auth’s own annual report, which it must send you every year.
  • 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.
  • Anything after the latest data. SDWIS data is from 2026 Q2; UCMR 5 samples are from Dec. 4, 2024 to July 15, 2025.

What to do next

  1. Start with PFOS

    What each marked result does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.

  2. Read the utility’s own report

    MT Penn Boro Muni Auth must send you a water quality report every year. It lists nitrate, arsenic and byproduct levels this page cannot.

  3. Test your own tap for lead

    Your service line, solder and fixtures decide the lead at your faucet, not the utility’s average.

  4. Compare five-year costs

    What the filters certified for these results cost over five years, cartridges included.