Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton Water Quality
Scranton drinks Pennsylvania American Water's Lake Scranton blend — soft reservoir and well water. The 2025 report shows lead at 1 ppb (90th percentile) and PFAS under Pennsylvania's current limits.
Soft water ~1.6 gpg · lead 90th pct 1 ppb · PFOA ≤4.8 ppt / PFOS ≤6.8 ppt (PA limits) · TTHM LRAA 66.9 ppb.
The short answer
Scranton's tap water comes from Pennsylvania American Water's Lake Scranton system (PWS 2359008). The 2025 Consumer Confidence Report says the water met state and federal requirements.
It is soft — hardness averaged 27 ppm (about 1.6 grains per gallon). Lead's 90th percentile at the tap was 1 ppb, and PFOA/PFOS stayed under Pennsylvania's current MCLs. Disinfection byproducts and sodium are the figures most homeowners ask about next.
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Tell us your Scranton address. We confirm coverage first, then schedule a licensed technician to test at your tap — no charge, no obligation.
What the 2025 Lake Scranton report shows
Figures below are system-level results from Pennsylvania American Water's 2025 report. A later report supersedes them.
Soft water: about 1.6 grains per gallon
Average total hardness leaving the plant was 27 ppm as CaCO₃ (range 12–44). That is soft water — scale is rarely the first complaint Scranton homeowners bring up.
Sodium averaged 170.5 ppm
Sodium averaged 170.5 ppm (range 17.5–170.5). The report notes that levels above about 20 ppm may matter for people on a sodium-restricted diet; most sodium still comes from food, not water.
Lead 90th percentile at 1 ppb
In 2025 lead-and-copper sampling of 50 customer taps, the lead 90th percentile was 1 ppb against a 15 ppb action level. One site was above the action level (range ND–29). Copper's 90th percentile was 0.229 ppm.
PFOA and PFOS under Pennsylvania limits
Compliance sampling (2024–2025) found PFOA up to 4.8 ppt against Pennsylvania's 14 ppt MCL and PFOS up to 6.8 ppt against 18 ppt. U.S. EPA national limits take effect in 2029.
Disinfection byproducts near the middle of the limit
The highest locational running annual average for total trihalomethanes was 66.9 ppb against an 80 ppb MCL (individual results 18.6–123.7). Haloacetic acids peaked at an LRAA of 44.1 ppb against 60.
Nitrate well below the limit
Nitrate peaked at 2.36 ppm in 2025 against a 10 ppm MCL (range 0.8–2.36). No nitrate violation.
How the water is produced
Surface reservoirs and groundwater wells feed one treated system.
Surface reservoirs plus groundwater wells
Raw supply is a blend of surface water from Lake Scranton, Williams Bridge, Elmhurst, Hollister and Curtis Reservoirs, supplemented by nine groundwater wells northwest of the plant in Roaring Brook Township.
Lake Scranton treatment plant
Surface water is treated at the Lake Scranton plant, which holds a U.S. EPA Partnership for Safe Drinking Water 20 Year Directors Award (2021). Groundwater wells are chlorinated before entering the system.
Pennsylvania American Water — Lake Scranton
The system is Pennsylvania American Water's Lake Scranton system (PWS ID 2359008). The 2025 report covers calendar-year sampling for that system.
Where these figures come from
Everything on this page traces to Pennsylvania American Water's 2025 Annual Water Quality Report for the Lake Scranton system (public water system 2359008).
- Pennsylvania American Water — Lake Scranton 2025 Water Quality Report (PDF)
- Pennsylvania American Water — Pennsylvania — current reports and the interactive service-line inventory map.
Matching treatment to the finding
Soft water changes the usual softener conversation; PFAS, sodium and lead plumbing drive most Scranton decisions.
Carbon or RO if PFAS is the concern
Point-of-use reverse osmosis or carbon certified for the PFAS compounds you care about is the usual kitchen-tap answer when a homeowner wants to go below the system averages.
Lead reduction at the tap
Even with a 1 ppb system 90th percentile, older home plumbing can still contribute lead. Flushing after long stagnation and a certified lead-reduction filter are the first steps; Pennsylvania American Water publishes a service-line inventory map.
Softening is usually unnecessary
At about 27 ppm hardness, a softener is rarely justified for scale control. Taste or sodium concerns point elsewhere.
Test before you buy
The report is system-wide. A kitchen-tap test tells you which of these findings actually shows up at your address.
How the free test works
A licensed technician tests at your kitchen tap, walks the plumbing, and tells you which of the findings above applies to your house and which does not. There is no charge and no obligation.
Seamless Home is the licensed contractor of record on the work that follows. Installation is performed by vetted installing partners engaged as our subcontractors, and the workmanship obligation stays with us. Coverage is confirmed per service area rather than promised as blanket availability.
What a water treatment job with us covers
Installation and replacement of whole-home and point-of-use treatment, specified against what your water actually contains.
Sediment filtration
Installation of the first stage that protects everything downstream of it, sized to the service line and the household draw.
Softening
Installation of ion-exchange softening where hardness is the problem, including the drain connection the plumbing code treats as indirect waste.
Carbon filtration
Installation of carbon stages for taste, odour and disinfection by-products, specified from your utility's own water quality report.
Reverse osmosis
Point-of-use installation at the kitchen sink where the target is dissolved solids rather than whole-home flow.
Disinfection
Installation of UV or equivalent treatment where the supply is a private well or is otherwise not continuously disinfected.
System replacement
Replacing equipment that has reached the end of its service life, including the discharge and air gap details an inspector looks at.
This is installation and replacement work, specified from a published water quality report or a test of your supply — not from a sales chart. Coverage is confirmed per service area rather than promised as blanket availability.
What the work actually looks like
Treatment equipment is plumbing. Most of the job is the connection, the drain and the code detail behind it.
Scranton water, answered plainly
Where does Scranton get its water?+
From Pennsylvania American Water's Lake Scranton system: surface water from Lake Scranton, Williams Bridge, Elmhurst, Hollister and Curtis Reservoirs, plus nine groundwater wells in Roaring Brook Township.
Is Scranton tap water hard?+
No. The 2025 report lists average total hardness of 27 ppm as CaCO₃ (about 1.6 grains per gallon), with a range of 12–44 ppm — soft water.
Did Scranton's 2025 water meet standards?+
Pennsylvania American Water's 2025 Lake Scranton report states that the water met state and federal drinking water requirements for the year.
Is there lead in Scranton water?+
The 2025 lead 90th percentile at customer taps was 1 ppb against a 15 ppb action level. One of 50 sites was above the action level. Lead can still come from plumbing inside a home; the utility publishes a service-line inventory map.
Does Scranton water have PFAS?+
Yes, at levels under current Pennsylvania limits. Compliance sampling found PFOA up to 4.8 ppt (PA MCL 14) and PFOS up to 6.8 ppt (PA MCL 18). UCMR 5 also detected several PFAS compounds, with PFOS ranging up to 7.6 ppt in that dataset.
Where do these figures come from?+
From Pennsylvania American Water's 2025 Annual Water Quality Report for the Lake Scranton system (PWS ID 2359008). Third-party aggregators are not used.
Related resources
Home water purification and treatment
The national service page behind this one.
Learn more →Philadelphia water quality
Delaware and Schuylkill rivers through PWD.
Learn more →Erie water quality
Lake Erie water, no 2025 violations and trihalomethanes worth a look.
Learn more →Allentown water quality
Springs and the Lehigh River, with PFOA and PFOS near 6 ppt.
Learn more →All home services
Water, battery, HVAC and solar under one licensed contractor of record.
Learn more →Get a free test at your tap
A licensed technician tests at your kitchen tap and tells you which Lake Scranton findings apply to your house — PFAS, sodium, disinfection byproducts or lead from plumbing. No charge, no obligation, and coverage confirmed at your address first.
Get a free test