Bucks County, Pennsylvania: drinking water report. Bucks County sits northeast of Philadelphia, home to about 630,000 residents.
Bucks County sits northeast of Philadelphia, home to about 630,000 residents. Water comes from a mix of sources – the Delaware River, Neshaminy Creek, local reservoirs, and groundwater. Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority, Aqua Pennsylvania, and numerous smaller systems serve different parts of the county. The lower county is more urbanized; the upper county is more rural with more groundwater dependence.
Bucks County has been at the center of Pennsylvania's PFAS crisis. The former Naval Air Warfare Center in Warminster and the former Naval Air Station in Willow Grove are both confirmed PFAS sources, with contamination plumes extending into surrounding communities' drinking water wells. These sites have some of the highest documented PFAS levels in the state.
According to the Pennsylvania DEP's 2024 monitoring data, 11 public water systems in Bucks County reported PFAS above the state's proposed MCLs. Several water authorities have installed granular activated carbon treatment, and the Navy has funded bottled water distribution and connection to alternative water sources for the most affected areas.
If you live near the Warminster or Willow Grove sites, PFAS contamination in local groundwater is well-documented and treatment infrastructure is still being deployed.
Check your water for current data specific to your provider. A reverse osmosis system provides the strongest household PFAS protection. Our water filter guide covers certified options. Pull your detailed report, and visit our Pennsylvania page for statewide data.
Drinking water is one exposure route. These federal datasets also cover Bucks County, PA.
The EPA places Bucks 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 an area's radon potential from geology and existing indoor readings; they say nothing about a specific house. Testing is the only way to know your own level.
59% of homes in Bucks County, PA were built before 1980, and 14% before 1950. Residential lead paint was banned in 1978, so housing age is the strongest available proxy for lead-paint exposure. This describes the county's housing stock, not any one home.
Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) in Bucks County, PA averages 8.3 µg/m³, within the EPA's annual standard of 9 µg/m³. These are CDC modelled county estimates rather than readings from a specific monitor.
How radon zones work · Air quality by county · Lead exposure guide