Lead in Pennsylvania well water
In Pennsylvania, 9% of 6,163 private wells tested between 2007 and 2025 had lead above the EPA limit (15 ug/L), according to the Penn State water testing lab.
Lead in well water almost always comes from household plumbing and older fixtures, not the aquifer, and corrosive (low pH) well water makes it worse. There is no safe level for children; it harms brain development.
Check your lead number
Type the value from your lab report. It is compared to the EPA limit and the EPA limit, the same way the full interpretation does it.
Test your Pennsylvania well for lead
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 lead
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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 lead
Under-sink reverse osmosis system
under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
For lead
Acid neutralizing filter
whole-house, at the point of entry, about $1,200
Raises pH so plumbing stops leaching lead and copper.
For lead
Aquasana SmartFlow reverse osmosis
under-sink or countertop, about $225
Certified to NSF/ANSI 58 and 53 to reduce arsenic (96%, pentavalent), fluoride (90%), lead (99%), nitrate, nitrite and PFOA/PFOS at the kitchen tap, with a remineralizer.
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 lead in Pennsylvania: certified labs, state programs and prices.
By county, from homeowner tests
Share of private wells above the state guidance level (15 ug/L) in tests homeowners sent to the state lab, 2010 to 2025.
By county, from individual samples
Public monitoring samples against the EPA limit (15 ug/L); counties with at least 30 samples.
| County | Above EPA limit | Samples | Detected | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erie | 95 | 38% | 0 | 600 ug/L | |
| Jefferson | 53 | 26% | 0 | 20 ug/L | |
| Clarion | 782 | 26% | 0 | 1,800 ug/L | |
| Tioga | 172 | 69% | 0 | 600 ug/L | |
| Philadelphia | 93 | 70% | 0 | 100 ug/L | |
| Centre | 93 | 31% | 0 | 100 ug/L | |
| Somerset | 33 | 33% | 0 | 18.7 ug/L | |
| Clearfield | 478 | 47% | 0 | 2,000 ug/L | |
| Chester | 705 | 50% | 0 | 70 ug/L | |
| Adams | 57 | 63% | 0 | 20 ug/L | |
| Cumberland | 58 | 69% | 0 | 1,200 ug/L | |
| Berks | 68 | 57% | 0 | 21 ug/L | |
| Bradford | 216 | 59% | 0 | 500 ug/L | |
| Indiana | 328 | 35% | 0 | 100 ug/L | |
| Lebanon | 130 | 80% | 0 | 500 ug/L |
- Monroe township, Clarion County18% of 166
- Tioga township, Tioga County7% of 30
- Kennett township, Chester County5% of 37
- Philadelphia, Philadelphia County3% of 93
- East Marlborough township, Chester County3% of 37
- East Whiteland township, Chester County3% of 38
- West Burlington township, Bradford County2% of 42
- Piney township, Clarion County2% of 581
- New Garden township, Chester County1% of 97
- Boggs township, Clearfield County<1% of 436
- Lackawaxen township, Pike County0% of 57
- Bensalem township, Bucks County0% of 111
- Dingman township, Pike County0% of 50
- Shippen township, Tioga County0% of 39
- Myerstown borough, Lebanon County0% of 48
- Upper Mahanoy township, Northumberland County0% of 105
- Westfall township, Pike County0% of 34
- Green township, Indiana County0% of 30
- Greene township, Pike County0% of 32
- Kidder township, Carbon County0% of 47
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. lead counts and shares are listed on each county and town page with their sources.