Berks County, PA
The federal environmental record for Berks County (population 430,449): what is on file, where it is, and what remains open. Sources and retrieval dates are on the methodology page.
10
Superfund NPL sites
38
federal cleanup sites
13
PFAS-detecting water systems
43
TRI facilities
52
open tank releases
Superfund NPL sites
| Site | City | Status | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bally Ground Water Contamination | Bally Borough | on the NPL | 07/22/1987 |
| Berks Landfill | Spring Township | deleted | 10/04/1989 |
| Berks Sand Pit | Longswamp Township | on the NPL | 09/21/1984 |
| Brown's Battery Breaking | Shoemakersville | on the NPL | 06/10/1986 |
| Crossley Farm | Hereford Township | on the NPL | 10/14/1992 |
| CryoChem, Inc. | Worman | on the NPL | 10/04/1989 |
| Douglassville Disposal | Douglassville | on the NPL | 09/08/1983 |
| Former Exide Technologies Laureldale | Laureldale | on the NPL | 03/07/2024 |
| Price Battery | Hamburg | on the NPL | 04/27/2005 |
| Ryeland Road Arsenic | Heidelberg Township | on the NPL | 07/22/2004 |
Drinking water: PFAS testing
Public water systems serving Berks with at least one PFAS detection under UCMR5. The federal limit for PFOA and PFOS is 4 ng/L; EPA proposed in May 2026 to rescind the limits for the other compounds, which are shown for information.
| System | Highest results | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AQUA PA FLYING HILLS WA SYS PA3060018 | PFOS: 6.4 ng/L PFOA: 6.3 ng/L PFBS: 4.8 ng/L | above final limit |
| MUHLENBERG TWP MUNI AUTH PA3060038 | PFPeA: 16 ng/L PFHxA: 15.6 ng/L PFOS: 11.5 ng/L | above final limit |
| CAERNARVON TWP AUTH PA3060052 | PFHxA: 92 ng/L PFPeA: 75.4 ng/L PFBA: 56.2 ng/L | above final limit |
| READING AREA WATER AUTHORITY PA3060059 | PFOA: 6.6 ng/L PFBS: 5.6 ng/L PFPeA: 5.4 ng/L | above final limit |
| PAW PENN DISTRICT PA3060069 | PFPeA: 30.4 ng/L PFHxA: 22.3 ng/L PFOS: 16.4 ng/L | above final limit |
| WERNERSVILLE MUNI WATER AUTH PA3060076 | PFBS: 4.9 ng/L PFOA: 4.2 ng/L PFPeA: 3.9 ng/L | above final limit |
| WEST READING BORO WATER PA3060078 | PFBS: 4.7 ng/L PFOA: 4.2 ng/L PFPeA: 4.1 ng/L | above final limit |
| MT PENN BORO MUNI AUTH PA3060082 | PFNA: 7.7 ng/L PFOS: 5.7 ng/L | above final limit |
| WYOMISSING BORO WATER SYSTEM PA3060083 | PFBA: 20.8 ng/L PFBS: 4.9 ng/L PFOA: 4.7 ng/L | above final limit |
| PAW GLEN ALSACE DIV PA3060088 | PFBS: 29.8 ng/L PFOS: 12.7 ng/L PFHxA: 6 ng/L | above final limit |
| MAIDENCREEK TWP WATER AUTH PA3060012 | PFHxA: 3.4 ng/L PFPeA: 3 ng/L | detected |
| SHILLINGTON MUNI AUTH PA3060067 | PFBA: 6.6 ng/L PFBS: 4.3 ng/L PFPeA: 3.8 ng/L | detected |
| BLUE MTN COOP TILDEN IND PARK PA3061067 | PFBS: 14.8 ng/L PFPeA: 3 ng/L | detected |
On a system with detections? Testing and treatment options
Facilities reporting toxic releases (2024)
43 facilities in Berks filed TRI reports for 2024, totalling 4.1M lb released. The 25 largest by volume:
| Facility | City | Top chemicals | Total released |
|---|---|---|---|
| CARPENTER TECHNOLOGY CORP | READING | Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Chromium and Chromium Compounds(except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region) | 2.5M lb |
| EAST PENN MANUFACTURING CO INC | LYON STATION | Lead, Arsenic | 586k lb |
| GLOBAL ADVANCED METALS USA | BOYERTOWN | Methyl isobutyl ketone, Manganese And Manganese Compounds | 339k lb |
| CAMBRIDGE-LEE INDUSTRIES | READING | Copper, Lead | 223k lb |
| MATERION BRUSH INC | SHOEMAKERSVILLE | Copper And Copper Compounds, Nickel | 119k lb |
| IFS INDUSTRIES INC | READING | Diisocyanates, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution) | 96k lb |
| HEIDELBERG MATERIALS US CEMENT LLC - EVANSVILLE | FLEETWOOD | Ammonia, Chromium and Chromium Compounds(except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region) | 72k lb |
| READING TRUCK BODY | READING | Certain glycol ethers | 36k lb |
| YUASA BATTERY INC. | LAURELDALE | Lead And Lead Compounds, Arsenic And Arsenic Compounds | 31k lb |
| TOPPAN INTERAMERICA INC | MORGANTOWN | Toluene, Xylene (mixed isomers) | 12k lb |
| CAN CORP OF AMERICA INC | BLANDON | Xylene (mixed isomers), n-Butyl alcohol | 8k lb |
| DAIRY FARMERS OF AMERICA INC. | READING | Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution) | 7k lb |
| AKZO NOBEL COATINGS INC. | READING | Barium compounds (except for barium sulfate (CAS No. 7727-43-7)), Zinc compounds | 5k lb |
| GLEN-GERY CORP MID ATLA NTIC PLANT | SHOEMAKERSVILLE | Hydrogen fluoride | 3k lb |
| KORE MART LTD | HAMBURG | Phenol, Aluminum (fume or dust) | 2k lb |
| EAGLE METALS | LEESPORT | Mixture | 2k lb |
| MISCO PRODUCTS CORP | READING | Certain glycol ethers, Zinc compounds | 1k lb |
| EAST PENN MFG CO INC KUTZTOWN WIRE & CABLE DIV | KUTZTOWN | Copper, Lead | 664 lb |
| READING ALLOYS LLC | ROBESONIA | Manganese compounds, Aluminum (fume or dust) | 532 lb |
| CUSTOM PROCESSING SERVICES INC | READING | Chromium compounds (except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region), Zinc compounds | 308 lb |
| TITANIUM METALS CORP DBA TIMET | MORGANTOWN | Chromium | 255 lb |
| ENGINEERED MATERIALS SOLUTIONS HAMBURG FACILITY | HAMBURG | Nickel, Manganese | 200 lb |
| UNICAST CO | BOYERTOWN | Lead And Lead Compounds | 134 lb |
| CAMPBELL MANUFACTURING LLC | BECHTELSVILLE | Copper | 122 lb |
| PRIZER-PAINTER STOVE WORKS INC - BLANDON | BLANDON | Chromium and Chromium Compounds(except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region), Nickel And Nickel Compounds | 101 lb |
Underground fuel tanks
EPA's UST Finder records 1,270 tank facilities in Berks: 653 tanks in service and 2,883 closed. 567 fuel releases are on record, of which 52 remain open. Open releases are cleanups that have not reached "no further action".
Radon
EPA maps Berks as Zone 1, the highest predicted indoor radon levels (over 4 pCi/L average). Radon and air quality are covered in depth on lung.com.
The record for one specific address
County figures blur what matters: distance. The Address Environmental Report runs these same federal datasets against one address and reports every site, tank, polluter and water result around it, with distances, in about a minute.
Get the report - $39All federal cleanup sites on file
The wider Superfund enterprise inventory (SEMS) for Berks, including sites assessed but never listed. Presence here records that EPA had reason to look, not a finding of danger.
- BALLY GROUND WATER CONTAMINATIONBALLY
- BERKS LANDFILLSINKING SPRING
- BERKS SAND PITLONGSWAMP TOWNSHIP
- BOYERTOWN SCRAPBOYERTOWN
- BROWN'S BATTERY BREAKINGSHOEMAKERSVILLE
- BULK CHEMICALS, INC.SHOEMAKERSVILLE
- CLEMENTS LANDFILLSHOEMAKERSVILLE
- CROSSLEY FARMHEREFORD TOWNSHIP
- CRYOCHEM, INC.BOYERTOWN
- DOUGLASSVILLE DISPOSALDOUGLASSVILLE
- EXIDE TECHNOLOGIES SITELAURELDALE
- FLEETWOOD RESIDENTIAL LEADFLEETWOOD
- GATEWAY HOUSING CONSTRUCTION SITEREADING
- GULF OIL SINKING SPRINGSSINKING SPRINGS
- HAMBURG - BROOM WORKS, INCHAMBURG
- HAMBURG - EAST BANK SITEHAMBURG
- HAMBURG - FIVE LOCKS ROADBERNE
- HAMBURG - PINE CREEK ROADALBANY
- HAMBURG - PORT CLINTON AVENUE SITEHAMBURG
- HAMBURG - SCHUYLKILL CANAL AND TOWPATHHAMBURG
- HAMBURG - WILLIAMS STREET SITEHAMBURG
- HAMBURG - WOODLAND ROADHAMBURG
- HAMBURG LEAD - GEARY DRIVE SITEHAMBURG
- HAMBURG LEAD - MILL CREEK SITEHAMBURG
- HAMBURG LEAD - PRIMROSE/CHURCH SITEHAMBURG
- HAMBURG LEAD - RAILCUT SITEHAMBURG
- HAMBURG LEAD SITEHAMBURG
- HAMBURG RESIDENTIAL LEAD SITEHAMBURG
- KAERCHER CREEK PARK - LAKE SITEHAMBURG
- LEESPORT FARMER'S MARKETLEESPORT
- PEACH ALLEY PARKING LOTHAMBURG
- PRICE BATTERY LEAD SMELTERHAMBURG
- READING DRUMREADING
- READING LEADREADING
- RYELAND ROAD ARSENIC SITEHEIDELBERG TWP
- WESTERN BERKS REFUSE AUTHORITY LANDFILLBIRDSBORO
- WILEYS BRIDGE LEAD SITEREADING
- WYOMISSING HGWYOMISSING