Is Georgetown, PA tap water safe?
The short answer
2 of the 6 utilities serving Georgetown have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Pennsylvania’s records: Christiana Muni Water Auth and Quarryville Boro.
Paw Watres, 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 Georgetown’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Paw Watres
Pennsylvania · serves 52,002 people · about 270 in Georgetown
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Paw Ceasetown
Pennsylvania · serves 58,467 people · about 170 in Georgetown
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Paradise Meadows
Pennsylvania · serves 90 people · nearly all in Georgetown
3 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 2.3 ppt, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Christiana Muni Water Auth
Pennsylvania · serves 1,100 people · about 100 in Georgetown
1 result above the action level, 1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 70 ppb, above the action level.
3 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Quarryville Boro
Pennsylvania · serves 3,150 people · under 100 in Georgetown
2 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOA at 4.0 ppt, above the health goal.
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
PA American Coatesville
Pennsylvania · serves 36,960 people · under 100 in Georgetown
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 2.0 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
Water testing near Georgetown
The 3 labs Pennsylvania certifies closest to Georgetown, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
H2O Environmental LLC
Harrisburg, PA · about 7 miles
Certified for bacteria
Microbac Laboratories, Inc. - Harrisburg
Harrisburg, PA · about 8 miles
ALS Environmental - Middletown
Middletown, PA · about 12 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, PFAS, radioactivity
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 Georgetown: 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 Georgetown
Other towns in Lancaster County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Paw Watres’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