Skip to main content
VERACO WATER

Serving Lehigh County

Water Testing & Filtration in Fountain Hill, PA

Fountain Hill borders Bethlehem’s South Side, and most of the borough drinks from the City of Bethlehem’s system — protected mountain reservoir water that is genuinely among the best sources in Pennsylvania. The catch is not the source. It is the borough’s housing, much of it built in the Steel era, long before lead solder was banned in 1986.

Get your free water test(610) 510-6101

Local water profile

What Fountain Hill water is like

Mostly municipal waterSupplier: City of Bethlehem

Homes in Fountain Hill are largely served by the City of Bethlehem water system, fed by upland Pocono reservoirs — soft mountain water, so hardness complaints here often run milder than in the limestone townships, one more reason to measure rather than assume. Like all municipal water it is chlorinated, which shows up as taste and shower smell. The real local question is plumbing age: the borough grew alongside Bethlehem Steel and St. Luke’s, and pre-1986 homes carry a lead-solder question that only a one-time test can answer.

Sound familiar?

What homeowners in Fountain Hill notice

  • A chlorine smell in shower steam
  • Milder scale than friends in the townships see — but spots still happen
  • Discolored water for a few hours after main work
  • Older homes: nothing visible at all, which is exactly why lead needs a test

The local issues, honestly

Water issues worth knowing about in Fountain Hill

Not everything on this list is dangerous — most of it is a cost or comfort problem, and we label each one honestly. A free test tells you which apply to your home.

Lead from older plumbing

Health-relevant — test to know

Lead almost never comes from the source water. It comes from the pipes it travels through — old lead service lines, lead solder used before the 1986 ban, and older brass fixtures.

Lead is a genuine health issue, especially for children — EPA and CDC agree there is no known safe level in a child’s blood. That is a reason to test, not to panic: many older homes test fine, and the fix is well understood.

Lead from service lines

Chlorine taste & disinfection byproducts

Depends on your home — test to know

Utilities add chlorine to kill germs on the way to your house — a good thing. But chlorine reacts with natural organic matter to form small amounts of byproducts (THMs and HAAs), and it makes water taste and smell like a pool.

Chlorination is one of the great public-health wins — the taste is the trade-off, not a danger. Byproducts are regulated by EPA because long-term exposure at high levels matters; utilities must stay under those limits. Carbon filtration removes both once the water is safely at your door.

Chlorine taste & smell

Aging water mains & sediment

Nuisance & cost — not a health risk

Much of NEPA’s water travels through mains laid generations ago. Old pipes shed rust and sediment, break more often, and trigger boil-water advisories when pressure drops.

The water leaves the plant clean — the distribution system is where grit and rust pick up. Sediment is mostly a nuisance and a wear-and-tear problem for fixtures and appliances; advisories are the utility being appropriately cautious.

Sediment after main breaks

If your home is older

Fountain Hill’s housing largely dates to the Steel era, decades before the 1986 lead-solder ban; the oldest blocks may have lead service lines. The water can be excellent at the main and still pick up lead in the last fifty feet of pipe. Test once and know.

Lead in drinking water — what parents should know

Free · no obligation · ~30 minutes

How the free water test works in Fountain Hill

The test is about information, not a sales visit. You find out what is actually in your water, in numbers you can keep — whatever you decide to do next.

  1. 1.Pick a time

    Call or send the form. We schedule around you — evenings and Saturdays included.

  2. 2.We test at your tap

    Hardness, pH, iron, chlorine, and total dissolved solids, measured on the spot in about 30 minutes.

  3. 3.Plain-English results

    Every number explained while you watch. What matters, what doesn’t, and why.

  4. 4.Honest next step

    If something is worth fixing, you get options and a firm quote. If your water is fine, we tell you and leave.

Good to know

Fountain Hill water questions, answered

Who supplies Fountain Hill’s water?
Most of the borough is served by the City of Bethlehem’s water system, fed by protected mountain reservoirs in the Poconos — honestly excellent source water. What remains worth testing is what happens after delivery: chlorine taste, sediment from older mains, and in pre-1986 homes, lead from old solder. The 30-minute test covers all of it, free.
Should I test for lead in an older Fountain Hill home?
Yes, once. Much of the borough was built before 1986, when lead solder was banned, and lead gives no warning — no taste, no color, no smell. It is a real health matter for children, which is a reason to test calmly, not to panic: many old homes pass. If yours does not, a reverse osmosis system at the kitchen tap is a proven fix.
Do Fountain Hill homes need a water softener?
Often not — and we will tell you if yours doesn’t. Bethlehem’s reservoir water is softer than the limestone well water common across the Valley, so the grains-per-gallon number here is frequently modest. We measure it at your tap, free, and if the number does not justify a softener, you hear that from us plainly.
Why does my shower smell like a pool?
Heat and spray release chlorine from water quickly — a shower is basically a chlorine diffuser. The chlorine itself is doing a good job keeping water safe through the mains; the smell is the trade-off, not a danger. A whole-home carbon filter removes it at the point of entry, clearing every tap and shower at once.

What we install in Fountain Hill

Water softener installation in the Lehigh ValleyWhole-home filtration in the Lehigh ValleyReverse osmosis in the Lehigh ValleyCity water filtration in the Lehigh ValleyFree water testing in the Lehigh Valley

Keep learning

The NEPA Water Quality GuideCity water vs. well waterIs my tap water safe to drink?60-second water quiz

Neighborhoods & nearby communities

Bethlehem’s South SideSt. Luke’s Hospital areaSalisbury TownshipLehigh University areaAllentown’s East Side

Also serving Allentown, Emmaus, Whitehall, Catasauqua, Coopersburg, Center Valley and the rest of the Lehigh Valley service area.

Don't see your town?

We cover Lehigh County, Northampton County and the rest of Northeast Pennsylvania. One call confirms coverage for your address.

(610) 510-6101