Reading Water Quality
Pennsylvania
According to EPA SDWIS, Reading, Pennsylvania is served by 11 community water systems covering about 176,166 people. The same extract lists 17 health-based violation records, most recently coded 8000 in 2025. Counts are historical EPA registry rows, not a current compliance or drinkability score.
Drinking water in Reading, Pennsylvania is delivered through 11 EPA-regulated community water systems serving an estimated 176,166 people. Each system is tracked in the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) under the Safe Drinking Water Act, which requires testing for regulated contaminants, consumer notification of violations, and publication of an annual Consumer Confidence Report.
PlainEnviro's health-based SDWIS extract shows 17 violation records across the 11 active community systems shown here. Monitoring and reporting records are not present in the extract. The records carry 3 distinct EPA contaminant codes: Revised Total Coliform Rule, Surface Water Treatment Rule, Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule. 17 TRI-reporting industrial facilities are also located within the city limits.
A past EPA health-based registry row does not describe water delivered today or current compliance status; utilities notify customers and remediate under state primacy oversight when required. For current water-quality status and treatment practices, review your local utility's most recent Consumer Confidence Report or contact the Pennsylvania drinking water program. All records above reflect federal EPA SDWIS data and are not independently verified against state databases.
Community Water Systems
| System Name | Pop. Served | Violations | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| READING AREA WATER AUTHORITY | 95,100 | 8 | Health |
| PAW PENN DISTRICT | 28,508 | 0 | Clean |
| MUHLENBERG TWP MUNI AUTH | 22,400 | 1 | Health |
| SHILLINGTON MUNI AUTH | 13,300 | 3 | Health |
| MT PENN BORO MUNI AUTH | 10,400 | 0 | Clean |
| ONTELAUNEE TOWNSHIP | 2,598 | 5 | Health |
| BERN TWP MUNI AUTH | 1,800 | 0 | Clean |
| RAWA NORTH HEIDELBERG | 1,350 | 0 | Clean |
| WBWA MOHRSVILLE DISTRICT | 375 | 0 | Clean |
| WILL O HILL APTS | 300 | 0 | Clean |
| HARMAN SUBDIVISION | 35 | 0 | Clean |
Does this city have health-based water violations?
These health-based records can represent Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL), Treatment Technique (TT), or Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL) categories. A historical record does not establish that water is currently unsafe.
| Water system | Contaminant | Begin Date |
|---|---|---|
| SHILLINGTON MUNI AUTH | Revised Total Coliform Rule | 2025-12-07 |
| ONTELAUNEE TOWNSHIP | Surface Water Treatment Rule | 2025-10-01 |
| READING AREA WATER AUTHORITY | Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule | 2025-04-01 |
| READING AREA WATER AUTHORITY | Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule | 2025-04-01 |
| SHILLINGTON MUNI AUTH | Revised Total Coliform Rule | 2022-01-22 |
| SHILLINGTON MUNI AUTH | Revised Total Coliform Rule | 2022-01-22 |
| MUHLENBERG TWP MUNI AUTH | Revised Total Coliform Rule | 2020-08-15 |
| READING AREA WATER AUTHORITY | Revised Total Coliform Rule | 2018-10-01 |
| READING AREA WATER AUTHORITY | Revised Total Coliform Rule | 2018-10-01 |
| READING AREA WATER AUTHORITY | Revised Total Coliform Rule | 2018-09-01 |
| READING AREA WATER AUTHORITY | Revised Total Coliform Rule | 2018-09-01 |
| READING AREA WATER AUTHORITY | Revised Total Coliform Rule | 2016-08-01 |
| READING AREA WATER AUTHORITY | Revised Total Coliform Rule | 2016-08-01 |
| ONTELAUNEE TOWNSHIP | Surface Water Treatment Rule | 2016-05-01 |
| ONTELAUNEE TOWNSHIP | Surface Water Treatment Rule | 2016-05-01 |
| ONTELAUNEE TOWNSHIP | Surface Water Treatment Rule | 2015-12-01 |
| ONTELAUNEE TOWNSHIP | Surface Water Treatment Rule | 2015-12-01 |
What are Reading's health-based records for?
Reading's health-based violation records carry 3 distinct EPA codes: some name a substance, others the drinking-water rule that was breached. Counts are records on file in the EPA SDWIS extract, not current test results.
| Contaminant | Records | Systems |
|---|---|---|
| Revised Total Coliform Rule | 10 | 3 |
| Surface Water Treatment Rule | 5 | 1 |
| Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule | 2 | 1 |
TRI Facilities in Reading
| Facility | Total Releases |
|---|---|
| Carpenter Technology Corp | 5.8M lbs |
| Ifs Industries Inc | 548.0K lbs |
| Cambridge-Lee Industries | 485.8K lbs |
| Akzo Nobel Coatings Inc. | 165.7K lbs |
| Reading Truck Body | 147.7K lbs |
| Exide Technologies Reading Smelter Div | 42.8K lbs |
| Dairy Farmers of America Inc. | 37.9K lbs |
| Custom Processing Services Inc | 33.7K lbs |
| Misco Products Corp | 12.1K lbs |
| Brenntag Northeast LLC | 10.3K lbs |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does EPA SDWIS list for drinking water in Reading, Pennsylvania? ▼
How many water violations does Reading have in this EPA extract? ▼
What contaminants were found in Reading water? ▼
How many water systems serve Reading? ▼
Where does Reading get its drinking water? ▼
Are there pollution sources near Reading? ▼
How does Reading compare in Pennsylvania?
Of the 769 Pennsylvania places with at least one community water system on file, Reading ranks #19 by number of systems (11).
Either side of it: Scranton (12), Coatesville (11), Sharon (11), Milford (10)
About This Data
Figures here are the current EPA SDWIS extract joined to the 11 community water systems whose service area lists Reading, ranked against the 769 Pennsylvania places with at least one system on file. Data current as of 2026-08-25.
Water system data comes from the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). PlainEnviro's violation fetch is restricted upstream to records EPA flags as health-based and then joined to active community water systems. Monitoring and reporting violations are not included.
A health-based violation row in this extract is a historical EPA registry entry. It does not describe water delivered today or current compliance status. Many records are later resolved, and public water systems notify customers when required. For current conditions, contact your local water utility or the state drinking water program.
TRI facility data comes from the EPA Toxic Release Inventory. Facilities shown are those that self-report to the TRI program. PlainEnviro presents this data without advocacy framing.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.