Chloride in Pennsylvania well water
In Pennsylvania, 2% of 3,000 private wells tested between 2007 and 2025 had chloride above the EPA secondary standard (250 mg/L), according to the Penn State water testing lab.
Chloride mainly comes from road salt and water softener discharge. Above 250 mg/L water tastes salty and corrodes plumbing. Rising chloride in a well usually means road salt is reaching the aquifer.
Check your chloride number
Type the value from your lab report. It is compared to the EPA secondary standard and the EPA limit, the same way the full interpretation does it.
Test your Pennsylvania well for chloride
Certified lab analysis of your own tap water, bottles and prepaid return shipping included. The Essential well panel covers arsenic, uranium, nitrate, lead, copper, manganese, iron, sodium and bacteria; radon and PFAS are add-ons.
Order the Tap Score well water test kit, from $209Already tested? Upload the report
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Systems that remove chloride
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Some links below are affiliate links. If you buy through one, the merchant pays us a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change which products we list or what the data says.
For chloride
Under-sink reverse osmosis system
under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
Rather have it installed and sized for your well? Book a free in-home water test with a licensed local company.
Where to get a well tested for chloride in Pennsylvania: certified labs, state programs and prices.
By county, from homeowner tests
Share of private wells above the state guidance level (250 mg/L) in tests homeowners sent to the state lab, 2007 to 2025.
| County | Above state level | Wells tested | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allegheny | 39 | 336 mg/L | |
| Wyoming | 57 | 1537 mg/L | |
| Mercer | 46 | 479 mg/L | |
| Pike | 71 | 1543 mg/L | |
| Luzerne | 41 | 3966 mg/L | |
| Chester | 47 | 408 mg/L | |
| Montgomery | 53 | 334 mg/L | |
| Washington | 164 | 565 mg/L | |
| Bedford | 31 | 673 mg/L | |
| Lackawanna | 32 | 1205 mg/L | |
| Beaver | 73 | 1627 mg/L | |
| McKean | 264 | 2196 mg/L | |
| Sullivan | 49 | 600 mg/L | |
| Westmoreland | 164 | 1359 mg/L | |
| Tioga | 55 | 790 mg/L |
By county, from individual samples
Public monitoring samples against the EPA limit; counties with at least 30 samples.
| County | Above EPA limit | Samples | Detected | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greene | no limit | 65 | 100% | 18 | 3,700 mg/L |
| Delaware | no limit | 50 | 100% | 19 | 1,800 mg/L |
| Forest | no limit | 30 | 100% | 0.585 | 18 mg/L |
| Fayette | no limit | 38 | 100% | 10.3 | 60 mg/L |
| Blair | no limit | 80 | 100% | 12 | 1,250 mg/L |
| Carbon | no limit | 55 | 100% | 36 | 43 mg/L |
| Berks | no limit | 217 | 100% | 9.2 | 1,630 mg/L |
| Chester | no limit | 1,448 | 100% | 12 | 2,100 mg/L |
| Bedford | no limit | 83 | 100% | 7 | 166 mg/L |
| Erie | no limit | 443 | 100% | 15 | 9,500 mg/L |
| Butler | no limit | 31 | 100% | 8 | 78,900 mg/L |
| Columbia | no limit | 90 | 100% | 7.95 | 120 mg/L |
| Crawford | no limit | 54 | 100% | 8.35 | 44,000 mg/L |
| Cumberland | no limit | 140 | 100% | 12.5 | 200 mg/L |
| Huntingdon | no limit | 67 | 100% | 3 | 150 mg/L |
- East Earl township, Lancaster County100% detected of 53
- West Lampeter township, Lancaster County100% detected of 347
- Earl township, Lancaster County100% detected of 33
- Bensalem township, Bucks County100% detected of 42
- Falls township, Bucks County100% detected of 47
- Caernarvon township, Lancaster County100% detected of 99
- Harborcreek township, Erie County100% detected of 47
- North East township, Erie County100% detected of 54
- Millcreek township, Erie County100% detected of 50
- New Garden township, Chester County100% detected of 249
- Kennett township, Chester County100% detected of 63
- Charlestown township, Chester County100% detected of 90
- Upper Uwchlan township, Chester County100% detected of 31
- East Vincent township, Chester County100% detected of 47
- West Caln township, Chester County100% detected of 51
- East Brandywine township, Chester County100% detected of 38
- East Marlborough township, Chester County100% detected of 55
- Schuylkill township, Chester County100% detected of 44
- East Whiteland township, Chester County100% detected of 56
- Tredyffrin township, Chester County100% detected of 52
Sources
- Penn State Agricultural Analytical Services Lab drinking water summaries: County summaries of private water samples tested by the Penn State Agricultural Analytical Services Laboratory since 2007, published by the College of Agricultural Sciences. Counts are samples, not distinct wells. Shares are against the standard the lab prints: the EPA maximum contaminant level, or the secondary standard for iron, manganese and chloride. Lead is the first-draw result. Medians printed as 0.00 are stored as null because the lab rounds to two decimals. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
- Individual samples from the USGS Water Quality Portal and state monitoring, summarized per geography. chloride counts and shares are listed on each county and town page with their sources.