Is Fox Chapel, PA tap water safe?
The short answer
3 of the 6 utilities serving Fox Chapel have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Pennsylvania’s records: Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Auth, Aspinwall Boro Water Dept and Blawnox Boro Water Dept.
Fox Chapel Auth, 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 Fox Chapel’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Fox Chapel Auth
Pennsylvania · serves 18,500 people · about 4,600 in Fox Chapel
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Hampton Shaler Water Authority
Pennsylvania · serves 61,949 people · about 1,100 in Fox Chapel
3 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 3.6 ppt, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Auth
Pennsylvania · serves 520,000 people · about 880 in Fox Chapel
3 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOA at 1.7 ppt, above the health goal.
2 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Aspinwall Boro Water Dept
Pennsylvania · serves 3,151 people · about 600 in Fox Chapel
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 7.5 ppb, above the health goal.
2 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Oakmont Water Authority
Pennsylvania · serves 39,901 people · about 450 in Fox Chapel
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 0.46 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Blawnox Boro Water Dept
Pennsylvania · serves 2,200 people · about 440 in Fox Chapel
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 2.0 ppb, above the health goal.
26 health-based violations since 2016
Water testing near Fox Chapel
The 3 labs Pennsylvania certifies closest to Fox Chapel, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Eurofins Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA · about 2 miles
Certified for bacteria
Dream Pools and Spas Inc
Pittsburgh, PA · about 3 miles
Certified for bacteria
RJ Lee Group, Inc.
Monroeville, PA · about 10 miles
Certified for nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, PFAS, asbestos
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 PennsylvaniaWhich ZIP codes are in Fox Chapel: 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 Fox Chapel
Other towns in Allegheny County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Fox Chapel Auth’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