Microbial · 2023
Total Coliform in Philadelphia, PA tap water
Philadelphia, PA's 2023 report shows Total Coliform detected, but the EPA has not set an enforceable federal limit for it.
The measurement
| Statistic | Value | Federal limit |
|---|---|---|
Range System-wide | 0–2.4 % | 0 % MCLG |
Highest single sample System-wide | 2.4 % | 0 % MCLG |
Verbatim from Philadelphia, PA's 2023 Consumer Confidence Report — source document ↗
About Total Coliform
A group of bacteria used as an indicator of overall water-system sanitation.
Coliforms themselves are usually harmless, but their presence signals that disease-causing organisms could enter the system.
How Philadelphia, PA compares
1 of the 178 systems measuring Total Coliform on The Water Map have it at or above the federal limit:
Nearby systems also reporting Total Coliform:
People also ask
+Is there Total Coliform in Philadelphia, PA tap water?
Yes — Philadelphia, PA's 2023 Consumer Confidence Report lists Total Coliform at 0–2.4 %. Philadelphia, PA's 2023 report shows Total Coliform detected, but the EPA has not set an enforceable federal limit for it.
+What's the federal limit for Total Coliform in drinking water?
The federal MCLG for Total Coliform is 0 %. The EPA enforces this against the regulated reporting statistic (running annual average or 90th percentile), not a single-sample spike.
+What is Total Coliform?
A group of bacteria used as an indicator of overall water-system sanitation. Coliforms themselves are usually harmless, but their presence signals that disease-causing organisms could enter the system.
+Which other U.S. cities have Total Coliform over the federal limit?
1 of the 178 systems on The Water Map measuring Total Coliform report it at or above the federal limit. Examples include Thornton, CO.
+Where does this Total Coliform measurement come from?
This page reproduces the Total Coliform entry from the 2023 Consumer Confidence Report published by the Philadelphia, PA water utility — the annual drinking-water report every U.S. utility is required by federal law to publish. The original source document is archived at /water/pa/philadelphia/2023/source.