Parents with infants in parts of Lancaster County received an urgent warning last spring: don’t use tap water for babies under six months old. Test results from Hempfield Water Authority showed nitrate levels high enough to cause a potentially fatal condition in young children.
The April 30, 2025 water sample measured 10.8 milligrams per liter of nitrate. Federal drinking water standards set the limit at 10 mg/L. The contamination affects roughly 2,000 residents in East Hempfield Township and a section of West Hempfield Township.
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Why Nitrates Threaten Infant Lives
Babies under six months who drink water with excess nitrates can develop methemoglobinemia. The condition prevents blood from carrying oxygen properly. Skin turns blue. Breathing becomes difficult. Without treatment, infants can die within days.
Adults and children over six months process nitrates differently and face minimal risk from these levels. Pregnant women should talk to their doctors about consumption.
Authority Superintendent Steve Gohn called affected households directly when the test results came back. Mailed notices followed. The warning remains active as of February 2026.
Where the Contamination Shows Up
The entire East Hempfield Township falls under the warning. In West Hempfield Township, affected streets cluster around Stony Battery Road, South Avenue, Northridge Drive, and Westfield Drive near Landisville.
Hempfield Water Authority serves 6,800 customers total across both townships. The elevated nitrate readings came from routine quarterly testing required by state environmental officials.
John Repetz, a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection spokesman, confirmed the agency received notification when contamination exceeded federal limits. DEP continues to track the situation.
Farm Fertilizer and Drought Create Perfect Storm
Lancaster County sits in one of Pennsylvania’s most productive agricultural regions. Nitrate contamination here comes from multiple sources on and around farmland.
Commercial fertilizer applied to crop fields leaches into groundwater when rain or irrigation water carries it below the root zone. Animal manure from dairy operations and livestock farms adds more nitrogen compounds to the soil. Septic systems contribute additional loads.
Bacteria in soil convert these nitrogen sources into nitrate. Water moving through the ground carries nitrate down to aquifers that feed wells and water systems.
The drought made everything worse. Lancaster County entered a drought watch in early 2025 after one of the driest periods on record through late 2024. Less water in the ground means higher concentrations of whatever contaminants are present.
“With the continuing drought there is not enough ground water to help dilute the nitrates,” the authority stated in its public notice.
Lancaster County’s drought watch lifted in June 2025 when rainfall increased. By January 2026, declining groundwater levels put the county back under watch status. Thirty-nine Pennsylvania counties currently face drought concerns.
Common Water Treatment Methods Won’t Help
Families dealing with nitrate contamination have limited options at home. Boiling water makes the problem worse because nitrates stay behind while water evaporates. The concentration increases.
Freezing water does nothing to nitrate levels. Standard pitcher filters and faucet filters don’t remove nitrates either. Letting water sit has no effect.
Parents must use bottled water for infant formula and drinking. Bathing and showering remain safe. The contamination poses no dermal exposure risk.
Reverse osmosis systems and ion exchange treatment can remove nitrates, but these require specialized equipment not found in typical homes.
State and Local Officials Coordinate Response
Hempfield Water Authority is working with Pennsylvania DEP on mitigation options. The authority’s March 2025 meeting agenda included nitrate removal as a discussion topic, suggesting officials anticipated potential problems.
Water testing will continue on a regular schedule. The public health warning stays in place until consecutive tests show nitrate concentrations below 10 mg/L.
“We’re investigating. We’ll keep testing to see if this persists,” a water authority representative told reporters in May 2025. “Hopefully we’re going to get more rain. We hope that will help. But we’re also looking at what we can do to mitigate the problem.”
Treatment options for nitrate removal include ion exchange systems, reverse osmosis, and blending contaminated water with clean sources. Each approach requires infrastructure investment and ongoing operational costs.
DEP indicated it would assist with treatment system modifications or permit changes if needed.
Agricultural Regions Face Growing Nitrate Problems
Research shows nitrate contamination worsening across farming regions nationwide. An Environmental Working Group analysis found more than 2,100 water utilities serving 21 million Americans saw increasing nitrate levels between 2003 and 2017.
Pennsylvania ranked among the ten states with the most widespread contamination. The others include California, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin.
Areas with intensive fertilizer use, well-drained soils, and limited forest cover face the highest risk. Nitrate persists in groundwater for decades once contamination occurs. Solutions require both reducing new inputs and treating existing contamination.
What Residents Need to Do Now
Hempfield Water Authority customers can contact the office at 717-898-8231 for information about the nitrate warning. The authority maintains updates at www.ehwater.com/notification/drinking-water-warning/.
Anyone caring for an infant under six months in the affected areas should use only bottled water for drinking and formula preparation. Residents should share this information with neighbors, especially those in apartments or group housing who might not receive direct notices.
The contamination timeline remains unclear. Water authorities dealing with nitrate problems in other agricultural regions have taken months or years to bring levels back into compliance. Groundwater cleanup moves slowly. The current drought conditions provide no help.
Lancaster County residents will need to wait for test results and rain.
