Is Tamaqua, PA tap water safe?
The short answer
2 of the 2 utilities serving Tamaqua have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Pennsylvania’s records: Tamaqua Area Water Authority and Summit Hill Water Authority.
Tamaqua Area Water Authority, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above the legal limit and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: Haloacetic acids (HAA5) at 58.1 ppb, above the legal limit.
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 Tamaqua’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Tamaqua Area Water Authority
Pennsylvania · serves 8,000 people · about 990 in Tamaqua
1 result above the legal limit and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: Haloacetic acids (HAA5) at 58.1 ppb, above the legal limit.
8 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Summit Hill Water Authority
Pennsylvania · serves 2,890 people · about 600 in Tamaqua
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 13 ppb, above the health goal.
1 health-based violation since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in Tamaqua Area Water Authority’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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ZeroWater 10 Cup Pitcher (ZP-010)
Pitcher
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: PFOA, PFOS
Aquasana Claryum Direct Connect (AQ-MF-1)
Under-sink carbon
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
Certified for: PFOA, PFOS
Express Water StreamLine Direct Connect System (USC001)
Under-sink carbon
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
Certified for: PFOA, PFOS
Water testing near Tamaqua
The 3 labs Pennsylvania certifies closest to Tamaqua, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
HawkMtn Labs Inc
Hazle Township, PA · about 13 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, radioactivity
Eurofins Drinking Water and Wastewater Northeast, LLC
Pottsville, PA · about 21 miles
Certified for bacteria
ABE Laboratories LLC
Bath, PA · about 26 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, minerals and other inorganics
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 Tamaqua: 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 Tamaqua
Other towns in Schuylkill County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Tamaqua Area Water Authority’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- About Haloacetic acids (HAA5)What it does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.About Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water