Water Service Outages in Pennsylvania by City
82% of Pennsylvania's 1,851 community water systems serve 3,300 people or fewer, so many outages and boil water notices affect a single small town or subdivision.
Pennsylvania drinking water record
Busiest year: 2016 (347 violations). Counted by the year the violation period began. Source: EPA SDWIS.
- Community water systems: 1,851 active systems serve about 11,467,074 people. 1,518 of them (82%) serve 3,300 people or fewer; 1,394 draw mainly on groundwater and 418 on surface water.
- Health-based violations since 2015: 2,760, at 787 systems (43% of all systems). That share is 42nd of 50 states (1 = lowest).
- Most common problems: surface water treatment (1,276); contaminant averages over the limit (853); coliform treatment technique (155). Source: EPA SDWIS
- Largest system: Philadelphia Water Department, about 1,600,000 people, with 0 health-based violations since 2015. Source: EPA SDWIS
- Housing age: the median Pennsylvania home was built in 1965 (US 1980). Older housing stock means more lead service lines left to replace. Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 (table B25035)
- Storm damage to water service: NOAA storm narratives mention water mains, boil water notices or lost water service in 3 episodes in Pennsylvania since 2015. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
- March 1, 2025, Schuylkill (drought): “Mandatory water conservation measures were continued for communities served by the Roaring Creek Water plant throughout all of March 2025.” Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
- June 21, 2021, Jefferson (thunderstorm wind): “Tree reported down on Water Plant Rd.” Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
| System | People served | Main source | Health violations since 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Water Department | 1,600,000 | Surface water | 0 |
| Aqua Pa Main System | 822,600 | Surface water | 2 |
| Pa Amer Water Co-Pittsburgh | 686,000 | Surface water | 1 |
| Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Auth | 520,000 | Surface water | 2 |
| Erie City Water Authority | 220,001 | Surface water | 2 |
| York Water Co | 206,762 | Surface water | 1 |
Source: EPA SDWIS.
Pennsylvania is 6th of 7 (1 = lowest share). Source: EPA SDWIS.
Checked September 2026.
Who to call in Pennsylvania, city by city
9 Pennsylvania cities on this site and the water utility for each. What to do while you wait is in our water service outage guide.
- Philadelphia Philadelphia Water Department
- Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Water
- Allentown Lehigh County Authority
- Reading Reading Area Water Authority
- Erie Erie Water Works
- Scranton Pennsylvania American Water
- Bethlehem City of Bethlehem Water
- Lancaster City of Lancaster Water Bureau
- Harrisburg Capital Region Water
Frequently asked questions
Is there a water service outage in Pennsylvania right now?
Possibly: 1 report from Pennsylvania on this site in the last 24 hours. Open your city to see where.
How many public water systems are in Pennsylvania?
EPA records list 1,851 active community water systems in Pennsylvania, serving about 11,467,074 people. 82% serve 3,300 people or fewer.
How common are drinking water violations in Pennsylvania?
Since 2015, 787 of 1,851 community water systems in Pennsylvania (43%) have had at least one health-based violation, 2,760 in total.
What is the largest water system in Pennsylvania?
Philadelphia Water Department, which EPA records list as serving about 1,600,000 people.
Report counts are user-submitted; other figures name their official source. How our data works
Cities in Pennsylvania with Water Service Outages Information
Allentown
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 125,845
Lehigh County Authority
Bethlehem
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 75,979
City of Bethlehem Water
Harrisburg
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 50,299
Capital Region Water
Lancaster
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 59,322
City of Lancaster Water Bureau
Philadelphia
1 report in the last 24 hours · pop. 1,584,064
Philadelphia Water Department
Pittsburgh
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 302,971
Pittsburgh Water
Reading
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 95,420
Reading Area Water Authority
Scranton
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 76,913
Pennsylvania American Water