Tap water quality
Philadelphia Water Quality Testing: Free Lead & Copper Home Tap Test
Philadelphia Water Department customers can request a free lead and copper test at a home tap. Pair that address-specific result with PWD’s citywide report covering 2025 data, published in 2026, and its lead sampling results.
Utility
Philadelphia Water Department
Best source
Philadelphia 2025 Drinking Water Quality Report, published in 2026
Scope
Public system + address checks
Reviewed
2026-09-19
The important distinction
A city report is not the same thing as your faucet.
Philadelphia offers a practical bridge between system-level reporting and one home tap: eligible PWD customers can request a free lead and copper kit, while renters can ask the account holder or property manager to arrange the property-specific check.
PWD system data is citywide. Its free customer-requested home test covers lead and copper at one tap; it is not a general water-quality test or a guarantee about every fixture in a building.
What to check first
The practical water-quality read for Philadelphia
Lead sampling
PWD’s 2025 lead sampling page says the 90th percentile result was 2 ppb and 1 of 106 sampled homes exceeded the 15 ppb action level.
Source rivers
PWD identifies the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers as drinking-water sources.
Property plumbing
PWD notes lead can come from a property’s plumbing, not the source water, treatment, or mains.
Source water
Where Philadelphia's drinking-water picture starts
Delaware and Schuylkill river source water treated by Philadelphia Water Department.
Public Water System ID noted in sources: PA1510001
For renters, travelers, and Airbnb guests
A fast checklist before you trust the tap
If you are the PWD customer for a home, request the free lead and copper tap test; renters can ask the account holder or property manager to arrange it.
Read PWD’s 2025 water quality report and citywide lead sampling results alongside the home-tap result.
Use cold flushed water and certified filters for sensitive households while waiting for property-specific answers.
Check PWD’s lead plumbing resources before assuming a citywide report answers an individual tap question.
Official links for Philadelphia
Request a free PWD home tap test
No-cost lead and copper testing for interested PWD customers at homes; this is not a general water-quality test.
PWD water quality report: 2025 data
The current annual report, published in 2026, with source, treatment, distribution, tap, and 2025 data context.
PWD 2025 lead sampling results
At-the-tap lead sampling table and explanation.
Next useful checks
Connect Philadelphia's water question to the rest of the local-health picture
If you are traveling, renting, or checking a city before a move, water is one layer. Respiratory illness, measles, weekly updates, and data-source context can also matter.
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Direct answers
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Sources
Data Sources
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Source and context
How to use this water-quality page
Updated
Reviewed 2026-09-19
Coverage
Public water system, utility report, and address-level tap checks
Best For
Finding the official report and the right next question for a specific address
This page does not replace Philadelphia Water Department, EPA, state regulators, a certified lab, or medical advice. It helps you separate system-level water quality from service-line and building-level tap risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is tap water in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania safe to drink?
Philadelphia Water Department customers can request a free lead and copper test at a home tap. Pair that address-specific result with PWD’s citywide report covering 2025 data, published in 2026, and its lead sampling results. This page does not issue a medical or legal safety guarantee. It points you to the official public-water-system report and the address-level checks most likely to change what comes out of a specific tap.
Why can my tap water seem bad if the city report looks good?
A city or utility report mainly describes the public water system. Your tap can still be affected by service-line material, older building plumbing, fixtures, stagnant water, water heaters, filters, or recent plumbing work.
What should renters or Airbnb guests check first in Philadelphia?
If you are the PWD customer for a home, request the free lead and copper tap test; renters can ask the account holder or property manager to arrange it. Read PWD’s 2025 water quality report and citywide lead sampling results alongside the home-tap result. Use cold flushed water and certified filters for sensitive households while waiting for property-specific answers. Check PWD’s lead plumbing resources before assuming a citywide report answers an individual tap question.
Local Health Signal is not affiliated with the CDC or any government agency. Data is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended for clinical decision making. See our methods page for details on data sources and limitations.