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Is McDonald, PA tap water safe?

2 utilities serve McDonald, 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

2 of the 2 utilities serving McDonald have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Pennsylvania’s records: PA Amer Water Co - Pittsburgh and Western Allegheny County Mun A.

PA Amer Water Co - Pittsburgh, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 19.6 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. 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 McDonald’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 PA Amer Water Co - Pittsburgh’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 McDonald

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 McDonald, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.

  • Dream Pools and Spas Inc

    Pittsburgh, PA · about 19 miles

    Certified for bacteria

    (412) 661-7665

  • Pace Analytical Services, LLC-Van Voorhis

    Van Voorhis, PA · about 20 miles

    Certified for bacteria

    (724) 463-8378

  • Eurofins Pittsburgh

    Pittsburgh, PA · about 23 miles

    Certified for bacteria

    (412) 963-7058

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 McDonald

Which ZIP codes are in McDonald: 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 McDonald

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

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