Scranton, PA Water Quality (ZIP 18505)

Quick Answers

Is ZIP 18505 tap water safe to drink? PFAS compounds have been detected in 18505's water at an average of 5.35 ppt across 6 compounds. A certified pitcher filter or reverse osmosis system is recommended, especially for sensitive populations.

What filter should I use in 18505? Match the filter to the data: reverse osmosis handles PFAS, lead, and arsenic together; NSF-53 pitchers cover the taps you drink from. A basic Brita pitcher will not remove PFAS.

ZIP 18505 Water Quality Summary

EPA testing has detected PFAS "forever chemicals" in the water systems serving ZIP 18505 (Scranton, PA). Monitoring found a peak of 12.6 ppt across 2 systems, averaging 5.35 ppt over 6 detected compounds. These levels come from individual EPA UCMR 5 water samples (2023-2025). The EPA's 4 ppt limit for PFOA and PFOS is enforced on a running annual average, so a sample above it shows real exposure but is not by itself a violation.

Contamination Level: LOW – Low contamination – PFAS detected but at lower levels; monitoring continues.

Top Detected Compounds in ZIP 18505

• PFBA: 12.6 ppt (exceeds the EPA 4 ppt limit)
• PFOS: 7.6 ppt (exceeds the EPA 4 ppt limit)
• PFOA: 4.9 ppt (exceeds the EPA 4 ppt limit)
• PFBS: 4.2 ppt
• PFPEA: 4.2 ppt (exceeds the EPA 4 ppt limit)

Lead in ZIP 18505 Water

EPA Lead and Copper Rule testing recorded 24 lead samples for the systems serving 18505, with a 90th-percentile high of 0.004 mg/L (within the EPA 0.015 mg/L action level). There is no safe level of lead for children; homes built before 1986 should use a certified NSF/ANSI 53 lead filter.

About the Data

These figures come from EPA UCMR5 (2023-2025) plus Lead and Copper Rule and SDWIS records for the public water system serving ZIP 18505. UCMR5 is the most comprehensive national drinking water survey in US history.

Beyond water: other exposures in Scranton, PA

Drinking water is one exposure route. These are the other federal datasets that cover ZIP 18505 and Lackawanna County, PA.

Radon risk in Lackawanna County, PA

The EPA places Lackawanna County, PA in Zone 1 - the EPA's highest-risk category, where the predicted average indoor radon level is above 4 pCi/L. Zone maps predict the radon potential of an area from geology and existing indoor readings - they do not describe any individual home. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among people who have never smoked, and the only way to know your own level is a test kit.

Lead paint risk in Lackawanna County, PA

Census figures show 76% of homes in Lackawanna County, PA were built before 1980, and 45% before 1950. Lead-based paint was banned for residential use in 1978, so older housing stock is the strongest available proxy for lead-paint exposure. This is a statistic about the county's housing, not a test of any particular property - if your home predates 1980, a lead swab test is the way to check.

Air quality in Lackawanna County, PA

Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) for Lackawanna County, PA averages 7 µg/m³, within the EPA's annual PM2.5 standard of 9 µg/m³. PM2.5 is the pollution fraction small enough to reach deep into the lungs. These are CDC modelled estimates for the county as a whole, not a reading taken at this ZIP code.

Industrial releases near 18505

EPA Toxics Release Inventory data for 2023 records 1 reporting facility within about five miles of 18505, together reporting roughly 2,124 pounds of on-site chemical releases that year. TRI covers facilities above federal reporting thresholds, so smaller sources are not included, and a reported release is not the same as a measured concentration in air or water.