Is Bell Acres, PA tap water safe?
The short answer
4 of the 5 utilities serving Bell Acres have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Pennsylvania’s records: West View Water Authority, Sewickley Boro Water Auth, Edgeworth Boro Muni Auth and 1 more.
West View Water Authority, which serves the most people here, has nothing above a health goal in EPA’s and Pennsylvania’s records. That data covers what its report lists, not everything.
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 Bell Acres’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
West View Water Authority
Pennsylvania · serves 200,000 people · about 1,300 in Bell Acres
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
2 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Sewickley Boro Water Auth
Pennsylvania · serves 6,800 people · about 760 in Bell Acres
1 result above the action level, 1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 3 results above the health goal. The worst: Copper at 1.5 ppm, above the action level.
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Edgeworth Boro Muni Auth
Pennsylvania · serves 7,781 people · about 550 in Bell Acres
1 result above the legal limit. The worst: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) at 75.5 ppb, above the legal limit.
2 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Aleppo Twp Auth
Pennsylvania · serves 2,200 people · about 310 in Bell Acres
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 0.8 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Ambridge Water Auth
Pennsylvania · serves 19,500 people · about 170 in Bell Acres
2 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOA at 2.5 ppt, above the health goal.
2 health-based violations since 2016
Water testing near Bell Acres
The 3 labs Pennsylvania certifies closest to Bell Acres, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Allegheny County Health Department Public Health Laboratory
Warrendale, PA · about 8 miles
Certified for bacteria
Microbac Laboratories, Inc. Pittsburgh Division
Warrendale, PA · about 8 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Dream Pools and Spas Inc
Pittsburgh, PA · about 14 miles
Certified for bacteria
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 Bell Acres
Which ZIP codes are in Bell Acres: 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 Bell Acres
Other towns in Allegheny County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read West View Water Authority’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Decide if you want a filter at allA filter for taste or chlorine is a preference, not a need. The standards say what each kind can do.NSF/ANSI standards, decoded
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water