The Philadelphia Water Department’s 2025 drinking water quality report provides essential information about the city’s tap water. The report shows that levels of approximately 100 regulated contaminants meet federal standards. However, some contaminants, such as forever chemicals PFOA and PFOS, exceed the new federal limit of 4 parts per trillion.

How Drinking Water Gets Regulated

In the U.S., drinking water is regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act, which sets limits for contaminants. The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulatory process is designed to be reactive, not proactive, meaning that the EPA must demonstrate that a contaminant may cause adverse health effects before setting a limit.

The Philadelphia Water Department’s report shows that the city’s tap water contains low levels of lead, with 90% of sampled homes having lead levels at or below 2 parts per billion. However, some homes with lead service lines had measurable lead in their water. The department is expanding its capacity to remove PFAS systemwide using powdered activated carbon.

What You Can Do

To reduce household exposure to drinking water contaminants, residents can use a carbon filter certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 53. Running cold water from the tap for 3-5 minutes before drinking or cooking can also help flush out water that has been in contact with plumbing. The Philadelphia Water Department offers free lead testing of tap water on request.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.