WATER QUALITY

Ensuring Water Quality

Providing high-quality water service is our business. We monitor and test your water at multiple points throughout our process of drawing it from its source, treating it to meet drinking water standards, and distributing it through our pipeline systems. In fact, American Water’s water quality professionals and treatment plant operators perform over one million tests each year for about 100 regulated contaminants at our nearly 80 quality control labs.

We also have access to American Water’s Central Laboratory, which conducts sophisticated drinking water testing and analysis. We take great pride in what we do and we hold ourselves to the highest standards in delivering safe, clean, reliable and affordable drinking water to the people we serve. When it comes to complying with strict federal regulations, we’ve consistently scored among the highest of all water companies. Our team consists of the industry’s leading researchers, scientists, and plant operators, all committed to our mission of delivering high-quality water to our customers.

Water Quality Awards

We take water quality so seriously that 33 of our water treatment plants have been nationally recognized with Directors Awards for participating in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Partnership for Safe Water program. And, 18 of these plants have maintained this high level of service for 20 years or more.

Pennsylvania American Water has received more Directors Awards than any other water utility in the nation, and nine of our plants received the Elite Phase IV Presidents Award (Bangor, Brownell, Clarion, Crystal Lake, Hershey, Indiana, Nesbitt, Norristown and Phillipsburg).

This is a voluntary program where the water service provider must carry out a rigorous review of their operational, financial and managerial policies and practices and identify ways to improve performance. As part of meeting the Directors Award requirements, the surface water treatment plant must meet certain criteria, and provide water service that – in some cases – surpasses what it is required by federal and state drinking water standards.

Water Quality One Pagers

Lead
PFAS
Copper
Legionella
Cyanotoxins
Award-Winning Water Quality

Additional Resources

Water Treatment Process
Wastewater Treatment Process
Building & School Flushing One-Pager
The Water and Wastewater Treatment Process Brochure