Is Auburn, PA tap water safe?
The short answer
2 of the 2 utilities serving Auburn have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Pennsylvania’s records: Plum Creek Municipal Auth and Auburn Municipal Authority.
Plum Creek Municipal Auth, which serves the most people here, has 4 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOA at 3.3 ppt, above the health goal. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
A town can be served by more than one utility, and some homes are on private wells. The name on your water bill tells you which is yours, and your ZIP code narrows it down. They are listed by how many people each serves in Auburn’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Plum Creek Municipal Auth
Pennsylvania · serves 2,500 people · about 150 in Auburn
4 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOA at 3.3 ppt, above the health goal.
3 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Auburn Municipal Authority
Pennsylvania · serves 920 people · under 100 in Auburn
1 result above the action level and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 22.5 ppb, above the action level.
No health-based violations since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in Plum Creek Municipal Auth’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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Countertop reverse osmosis
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: PFOA, PFOS, Arsenic, Lead
Aquasana SmartFlow Reverse Osmosis (AQ-SFRO2)
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: PFOA, PFOS, Arsenic, Lead
Brondell Capella RC250 Reverse Osmosis System
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: PFOA, PFOS, Arsenic, Lead
Water testing near Auburn
The 3 labs Pennsylvania certifies closest to Auburn, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Eurofins Drinking Water and Wastewater Northeast, LLC
Pottsville, PA · about 11 miles
Certified for bacteria
SPL - Reading
Reading, PA · about 15 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, PFAS, radioactivity
Pure-Test Laboratory
Myerstown, PA · about 17 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
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 PennsylvaniaZIP codes in Auburn
Which ZIP codes are in Auburn: Census 2020 relationship files. Which utilities serve them, and how many people: EPA SDWIS and EPA’s service area map. Each utility’s results: EPA UCMR 5, EPA SDWIS, and EPA’s and the state’s compliance monitoring, as its report lists them. How they are measured: methodology. Certified labs: Pennsylvania DEP Laboratory Accreditation Program, accredited labs for drinking water; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer.
Near Auburn
Other towns in Schuylkill County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Plum Creek Municipal Auth’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for PFOARanked by certification and what they cost over five years.The best water filters for PFAS, ranked
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water