Lower Providence Township residents free from toxic water, conservation orders after Audubon Water acquisition

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For the past two years, thousands of residents in Lower Providence Township were asked to conserve water at home. Their water provider, Audubon Water Company, has failed to repair a number of water main leaks and were losing about 50,000 gallons of water a day. The supply of water at the company’s drinking water wells had reached critically low levels.

The troubles continued last year, when the small family-run operation detected toxic PFAS chemicals in its drinking water. The so-called “forever chemicals,” which can remain in the environment for decades, are linked to serious health problems. As of this year, Audubon was out of compliance with state PFAS regulations.

Investor-owned utility Pennsylvania American Water acquired Audubon in May through a merger agreement. The company said not only has it fixed the leaks, but customers are now receiving clean water.

“Since Pennsylvania American Water took ownership of the Audubon system, we’ve seen a level of responsiveness and expertise that’s made a real difference for our community,” said E.J. Mentry, Lower Providence Township Manager, in a statement.

“They are moving quickly to improve the system and provide access to safe, reliable water for residents.”

PFAS, widely used in consumer products such as nonstick cookware and waterproof clothing, as well as in firefighting foam, have been linked to serious health problems, including some cancers, thyroid disease and developmental delays in children.

The health risks associated with the chemicals, which can stay in the human bloodstream for years, have prompted federal and state regulations.

Last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency restricted PFAS to levels of almost zero in public drinking water as part of a broader push by the Biden administration to address water quality. However, the agency has proposed rolling back some restrictions this year under the Trump administration as part of an agenda of massive regulatory rollbacks.

Pennsylvania water providers were also required to begin testing their water supplies for PFAS contamination last year.

WHYY News investigations in 2024 and 2025 determined Audubon’s water supply contained the chemicals well above state standards — as high as 57 parts per trillion at one entry point. Pennsylvania limits two types of PFAS chemicals, PFOA and PFOS, to 14 and 18 parts per trillion.

Audubon’s water quality web page, which hasn’t been updated since December 2023, states its water is safe to drink.

Following the merger, Pennsylvania American Water shut off Audubon’s three contaminated wells last month. The well closures followed weeks of infrastructure work to route water from American’s system in Norristown — which feeds from the Schuylkill River — to Lower Providence Township.

Audubon’s former 10,000 customers, or, about 2,900 households and businesses, are now drinking water that meets state and federal standards for PFAS.

“Our company’s top priority is to deliver clean, safe and reliable water to our customers,” said Justin Brame, senior manager of operations, in a statement. “Once we finalized the acquisition on May 28, we quickly mobilized all available resources to evaluate the situation and began addressing the issues without delay.”

American Water also repaired five major leaks, which caused the system to lose about 50,000 gallons of water daily, which is comparable to the amount of water that can fill two in-ground backyard swimming pools.

During an interview with WHYY News, Brame said water main leaks aren’t uncommon, but the situation in Lower Providence Township that led to water conservation notices was unusual. Twenty-five percent of Audubon’s water supply was lost in just one leak, he said.

“It’s a little frustrating when you see a system run like that, where if [Audubon] would have fixed the leaks, the customers wouldn’t have been impacted nearly as much,” Brame said. “We wanted to … address leaks and fix them, so that our customers could live a normal life … they could wash their cars … they could water the grass —- things that they couldn’t do on a normal basis because of the lack of addressing routine water company work.”

Audubon Water Company could not be reached for comment.

Residents will be currently charged the same rate they paid while customers of Audubon. The average household can expect to pay between $42 and $55 a month, depending on water usage. Pennsylvania American Water customers who live in other service areas currently pay on average between $70 and $100 a month.

The company could potentially propose to raise rates in Lower Providence Township in the future. Any rate increase must be approved by the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission.

Pennsylvania American Water said it plans to invest $21.5 million over the next five years to replace water mains, upgrade treatment and modernize control systems.

The company is replacing customers’ meters with new technology that can be read remotely, and a number of unreliable fire hydrants have also been replaced.

“I certainly have a great deal of more confidence in the Audubon system now that Pennsylvania American Water has taken over,” said James Lentz, fire chief for the Lower Providence Fire Company. “I think the future looks good.”