Public water system · PA4140095
ActivePenn State Univ
At a glance
Penn State Univ (PWSID PA4140095) is an active community water system in Centre County, Pennsylvania. It reports serving 37,000 people through 447 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by a state government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
37,000
Service connections
447
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Penn State Univ compare with other water systems in Centre County?
By EPA's size categories, Penn State Univ is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Centre County has 76 active public water systems, and Penn State Univ is the 2nd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 16 times the county average of 2,375 people per system, and accounts for 20% of the 180,520 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 Penn State Univ is about 5.5 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. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 6,632 Pennsylvania systems (92%) list groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Penn State Univ?
EPA lists Penn State Univ as owned by a state 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. 8 of the 76 active systems in Centre County (11%) are also owned by a state government.
Does Penn State Univ have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2025. The violations listed here began between January 2023 and January 2025. By type: 12 monitoring and reporting. The contaminants or rules involved are Groundwater Rule, Gross Beta Particle Activity, Trichloroethylene and Carbon tetrachloride. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Unfilt/GWR) · code 31 | Groundwater Rulecode 0700 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Gross Beta Particle Activitycode 4100 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Trichloroethylenecode 2984 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Carbon tetrachloridecode 2982 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | o-Dichlorobenzenecode 2968 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,2-Dichloropropanecode 2983 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,2-Dichloroethanecode 2980 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,1-Dichloroethylenecode 2977 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,1,1-Trichloroethanecode 2981 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,1,2-Trichloroethanecode 2985 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | p-Dichlorobenzenecode 2969 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Styrenecode 2996 | 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.
Penn State Univ: frequently asked questions
Who runs Penn State Univ?
Penn State Univ (PWSID PA4140095) is a community water system owned by a state government. It is regulated by the PA state drinking water program.
How many people does Penn State Univ serve?
Penn State Univ reports serving 37,000 people through 447 service connections in Centre County, Pennsylvania.
Where does Penn State Univ get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as groundwater. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers.
Does Penn State Univ 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 January 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 Penn State Univ'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 January 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 Penn State Univ's water quality report?
As a community water system, Penn State Univ 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 Centre County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State College Boro Water Auth | Centre | 72,000 | Community | Surface water |
| Paw Philipsburg | Centre | 20,865 | Community | Surface water |
| Bellefonte Borough Water Auth | Centre | 9,500 | Community | Groundwater |
| College Twp Water Authority | Centre | 6,000 | Community | Groundwater |
| Mountaintop Reg Water Auth | Centre | 3,456 | Community | Groundwater |
| Spring Twp Water Authority | Centre | 3,300 | Community | Groundwater |
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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, “Penn State Univ, PWSID PA4140095, Pennsylvania”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/pennsylvania/penn-state-univ-pa4140095 (data as of October 1, 2026).