Is Northampton, PA tap water safe?
The short answer
3 of the 5 utilities serving Northampton have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Pennsylvania’s records: Lehigh Twp Muni Auth, Whispering Hollow - South MHP and Miller Manor Homeowners Assoc.
Northampton Boro Muni 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 Northampton’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Northampton Boro Muni Auth
Pennsylvania · serves 40,000 people · about 1,100 in Northampton
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
City of Bethlehem
Pennsylvania · serves 117,259 people · about 130 in Northampton
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Lehigh Twp Muni Auth
Pennsylvania · serves 260 people · under 100 in Northampton
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 4.0 ppb, above the health goal.
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Whispering Hollow - South MHP
Pennsylvania · serves 400 people · under 100 in Northampton
3 results above the health goal. The worst: Nitrate at 11 ppm, above the health goal.
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Miller Manor Homeowners Assoc
Pennsylvania · serves 90 people · based in Northampton
1 result above the legal limit, 1 result above the action level, 2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Copper at 2.5 ppm, above the action level. Hardness: very hard, 306 mg/L (17.9 grains per gallon).
3 health-based violations since 2016
Water testing near Northampton
The 3 labs Pennsylvania certifies closest to Northampton, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
ABE Laboratories LLC
Bath, PA · about 5 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, minerals and other inorganics
Eurofins Philadelphia - Wind Gap
Wind Gap, PA · about 11 miles
Analytical Laboratories, Inc
Telford, PA · about 27 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate
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 Northampton
Which ZIP codes are in Northampton: 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 Northampton
Other towns in Northampton County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Northampton Boro Muni 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