Public water system · PA3480046
ActiveCity of Bethlehem
At a glance
City of Bethlehem (PWSID PA3480046) is an active community water system in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. It reports serving 117,259 people through 36,709 service connections. Its primary water source is surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in August 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
117,259
Service connections
36,709
Primary source
SW
Surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does City of Bethlehem compare with other water systems in Northampton County?
By EPA's size categories, City of Bethlehem is a very large system (more than 100,000 people). Northampton County has 199 active public water systems, and City of Bethlehem is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 70 times the county average of 1,680 people per system, and accounts for 35% of the 334,310 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Pennsylvania, the 7,217 active systems average 1,741 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so City of Bethlehem is about 17 times that figure.
What does “community water system” mean?
A community water system serves at least 15 connections used by year-round residents, or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. Homes, apartments and mobile-home parks are served by these. Pennsylvania has 1,762 active community water systems, 24% of the state's 7,217 active systems. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs. 246 Pennsylvania systems (3.4%) list surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates City of Bethlehem?
EPA lists City of Bethlehem as owned by a local government. The PA state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 28 of the 199 active systems in Northampton County (14%) are also owned by a local government.
Does City of Bethlehem have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in August 2025. The violations listed here began between January 2020 and August 2025. By type: 12 monitoring and reporting. The contaminants or rules involved are Surface Water Treatment Rule, Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Haloacetic acids (HAA5) and Alachlor (Lasso). EPA lists 12 as resolved. Resolved means at least one resolving action is on record: the system returned to compliance, the rule no longer applies, or no further action was needed.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-08-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Filter) · code 36 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | No | Resolved |
| 2022-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Resolved |
| 2022-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Alachlor (Lasso)code 2051 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Dinosebcode 2041 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Picloramcode 2040 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Carbofurancode 2046 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Diquatcode 2032 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Hexachlorocyclopentadienecode 2042 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Dalaponcode 2031 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Endothallcode 2033 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Toxaphenecode 2020 | No | Resolved |
The 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, newest first.Labels and codes come from EPA's SDWIS reference tables. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found. "Health-based" marks violations of a legal limit or required treatment.
City of Bethlehem: frequently asked questions
Who runs City of Bethlehem?
City of Bethlehem (PWSID PA3480046) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the PA state drinking water program.
How many people does City of Bethlehem serve?
City of Bethlehem reports serving 117,259 people through 36,709 service connections in Northampton County, Pennsylvania.
Where does City of Bethlehem get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as surface water. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs.
Does City of Bethlehem have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in August 2025. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found.
Is City of Bethlehem's water safe to drink?
AquaCensus shows EPA compliance records, not current water test results, so it cannot say whether the water is safe at a given moment. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in August 2025. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the PA state drinking water program.
Where can I find City of Bethlehem's water quality report?
As a community water system, City of Bethlehem must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1 each year, covering the previous calendar year. The system can provide a copy on request.
Other water systems in Northampton County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easton Area Water System | Northampton | 96,867 | Community | Surface water |
| Northampton Boro Muni Auth | Northampton | 40,000 | Community | Surface water |
| Paw Blue Mountain Division | Northampton | 23,763 | Community | Surface water |
| Paw Bangor District | Northampton | 9,008 | Community | Surface water |
| Hellertown Borough Authority | Northampton | 5,800 | Community | Groundwater |
| Lower Saucon Authority | Northampton | 5,700 | Community | Purchased surface water |
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About this data
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and SDWA violation records, via EPA ECHO, as published October 1, 2026 — AquaCensus refreshes it quarterly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: AquaCensus, “City of Bethlehem, PWSID PA3480046, Pennsylvania”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/pennsylvania/city-of-bethlehem-pa3480046 (data as of October 1, 2026).