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Is Erie, PA tap water safe?

3 utilities serve Erie, by EPA’s records. Here is what EPA’s and Pennsylvania’s records show for each, against the legal limits and the stricter health goals.

Matched to your utility using EPA records.

The short answer

3 of the 3 utilities serving Erie have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Pennsylvania’s records: Erie City Water Authority, Summit Township Water Authorit and McKean Twp Waterworks.

Erie City Water Authority, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 1.1 ppb, 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 Erie’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.

What handles it

Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in Erie City Water Authority’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.

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Every claim, and more filters, in the full report

Water testing near Erie

A utility tests the water it sends out. A test of your own tap shows what your pipes add, and on a private well it is the only test there is. It takes a lab Pennsylvania certifies.

The 3 labs Pennsylvania certifies closest to Erie, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.

  • Free-Col Laboratory

    Erie, PA · about 2 miles

    Certified for bacteria, nitrate, minerals and other inorganics

    (814) 460-0861

  • Microbac Laboratories, Inc - Erie Division

    Erie, PA · about 5 miles

    Certified for bacteria

    (814) 825-8533

  • Pace Analytical Services, LLC - Erie

    Erie, PA · about 5 miles

    Certified for bacteria

    (814) 660-6078

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

ZIP codes in Erie

Which ZIP codes are in Erie: 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 Erie

Other towns in Erie County with a page of their own.

What to do next