Horsham, PA Water Quality (ZIP 19044)

Quick Answers

Is ZIP 19044 tap water safe to drink? Water for ZIP 19044 shows high PFAS contamination. EPA testing found a peak of 1,000 ppt, above the EPA's 4 ppt enforceable limit. A reverse osmosis or certified PFAS filter is strongly recommended.

What filter should I use in 19044? A reverse osmosis system (NSF/ANSI 58) removes 90%+ of PFAS, lead, and arsenic. For smaller households, an NSF-53 certified pitcher (Clearly Filtered, ZeroWater) works. Standard Brita cartridges are not certified for PFAS.

ZIP 19044 Water Quality Summary

EPA testing has detected PFAS "forever chemicals" in the water systems serving ZIP 19044 (Horsham, PA). Monitoring found a peak of 1,000 ppt across 3 systems, averaging 6.78 ppt over 9 detected compounds.

Contamination Level: HIGH – High contamination – multiple PFAS compounds detected at levels significantly above EPA safety thresholds.

Top Detected Compounds in ZIP 19044

• PFOS: 1,000 ppt (exceeds the EPA 4 ppt limit)
• PFHXS: 590 ppt (exceeds the EPA 10 ppt limit)
• PFOA: 290 ppt (exceeds the EPA 4 ppt limit)
• PFBS: 110 ppt
• PFHPA: 39 ppt (exceeds the EPA 10 ppt limit)

Lead in ZIP 19044 Water

EPA Lead and Copper Rule testing recorded 16 lead samples for the systems serving 19044, with a 90th-percentile high of 0.0043 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.

EPA Violations Affecting ZIP 19044

The water systems serving 19044 have 3 health-based EPA Safe Drinking Water Act violations on record, including Chromium, 8000. A health-based violation means a contaminant exceeded its federal limit or required treatment was not applied.

About the Data

Source: EPA UCMR5 monitoring (2023-2025), Lead and Copper Rule samples, and SDWIS violation records tied to the water system that serves 19044 in Horsham, PA.

Beyond water: other exposures in Horsham, PA

Drinking water is one exposure route. These are the other federal datasets that cover ZIP 19044 and Montgomery County, PA.

Radon risk in Montgomery County, PA

The EPA places Montgomery 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 Montgomery County, PA

Census figures show 63% of homes in Montgomery County, PA were built before 1980, and 22% 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 Montgomery County, PA

Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) for Montgomery County, PA averages 8.5 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.

Superfund sites near 19044

There are 3 EPA Superfund (National Priorities List) sites within about five miles of 19044: Willow Grove Naval Air and Air Reserve Station (about 0.5 miles); Raymark (about 2.9 miles); Fischer & Porter Co. (about 3.2 miles). Distances are measured from the ZIP code's geographic centre, so the distance from a specific address will differ. Proximity to a listed site is a fact about location - it is not itself evidence of exposure.

Industrial releases near 19044

EPA Toxics Release Inventory data for 2023 records 3 reporting facilities within about five miles of 19044, together reporting roughly 20,989 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.