WATER TREATMENT · 23 MIN FROM OUR GREENVILLE OFFICE
Hermitage’s water from Aqua PA Shenango Valley has stayed under the 0.015 mg/L lead action level in every round on record, and an orthophosphate inhibitor protects pipes. The 90th percentile was 0.0028 mg/L in 2016, then recorded as zero in the three rounds since.
Serving our communities since 1967
USGS sampled Mercer County wells between 1928 and 2023. That shows what is common here, and your own water test sets the size of the system.
Schedule a water test- HardMedian 7.6 gpg; 59% of 102 wells hard or very hardThe softener
- Iron58% of 99 wells above 0.3 mg/L; median 0.45 mg/LThe iron system
- Manganese54% of 93 wells above 0.05 mg/LThe iron system
- pHMedian pH 7.4; 9% of 96 wells below 6.5Blue-green stains
- Town waterAqua PA Shenango Valley Water Treatment Plant: about 48,000 people, surface water it treats itselfChlorine removal
- Not on recordBacteria, nitrate, PFAS, arsenicWater testing
- 102 wellsIn the USGS record for Mercer County. Each well counts once, as the median of its samples.
- 680 wellsDomestic wells on file within 5 miles of Hermitage, a median 100 feet deep.
- 23 minFrom our Greenville office by road. Same crews, same drive, for the whole area.
- WHAT YOUR TEST ADDS
- Your well’s numbers, not the county’s
- Bacteria and nitrate, which the record never covers
- Which equipment your water needs, and in what order
WHAT WE INSTALL IN HERMITAGE
The Equipment Hermitage
Water Tends to Need.
Chatfield Water Systems is one line, with one system per problem. Your water test decides which ones you need and in what order; the county record shows which are likely.
- HARD AT THE MEDIAN
Water softeners
59% of sampled Mercer County wells were hard or very hard, at a median of 7.6 grains per gallon. Your softener is sized to your own test.
EXPLORE - 58% OF WELLS ABOVE THE IRON LINE
Iron & manganese removal
58% of sampled wells were above 0.3 mg/L of iron and 54% above the manganese line. The FerronX goes in at the point of entry, ahead of the softener.
EXPLORE - ON TOWN WATER
Chlorine removal
Hermitage’s public water is disinfected surface water, so the chlorine is still in it at the tap. The CityLux takes it out of the whole supply.
EXPLORE - FIRST, EVERY TIME
A water test
Every system above starts with a test of your well or your tap water, from our Greenville office, about 23 minutes from Hermitage. What it finds decides which equipment you need and the order it goes in.
EXPLORE
WATER TREATMENT IN HERMITAGE
What Hermitage Water Says,
and What We Do About It.
Corrosion control on Hermitage’s supply
Aqua PA Shenango Valley, a privately owned system drawing from the Shenango River, serves about 48,000 people. Three of its listed steps are there for corrosion control: lime and soda ash, a pH adjustment after filtration, and an orthophosphate inhibitor. The inhibitor is added to protect pipes, because lead at a faucet generally comes from plumbing rather than from the source.
Lead is judged at the 90th percentile of sampled homes. For this system that was 0.0028 mg/L for the round ending in 2016, then 0 mg/L for the 2019, 2022 and 2025 rounds. Every round sits under the 0.015 mg/L action level. Your own house can still differ from a system-wide figure, so a lead test at your tap is worth doing, and reverse osmosis at the kitchen sink is the usual answer if it finds lead.
Pottsville sandstone under Hermitage
Homes in and around Hermitage that run on a private well draw from a different setting. PaGWIS has 680 logs with a well depth inside 5 miles: a median of 100 feet, and a middle half between 80 and 130. Bedrock turns up at a median 21 feet, and the rock mapped at the town center is the Pottsville Formation’s sandstone and conglomerate, from the Pennsylvanian. Reported yields have a median of 15 gallons per minute, with the middle half from 10 to 25.
A well gets none of the plant’s treatment, so its water needs its own test, while homes on the Aqua line get their water report from the utility. Iron over the 0.3 mg/L line starts leaving orange stains, manganese over 0.05 mg/L leaves dark ones, and the FerronX Iron System handles both.
Taste, odor and the peroxide step
On the Aqua system, taste and odor are handled at the plant: EPA lists powdered activated carbon and a peroxide step for them, along with chlorine dioxide for disinfection by-product control. What arrives at your faucet carries chloramine, and a CityLux removes it for the whole house, along with chlorine.
A private well has no plant in front of it, so a sulfur smell goes straight to the shower. The fix borrows the plant’s idea. The CataPure Carbon System pairs chlorine or peroxide injection with a carbon filter to take the smell out. If the rotten-egg odor shows up only on the hot side, the water heater is worth ruling out before buying equipment.
The Mercer County record
USGS samples from Mercer County wells, taken 1928–2023: 59% of wells hard or very hard, 58% over the iron line, 9% below pH 6.5. The full record, measure by measure, is on the Mercer County water treatment page.
From our Greenville office
Hermitage is about 23 minutes and 13 miles by road from our Greenville office, and the municipalities around it get the same crews and the same drive: Sharon, Sharpsville, Farrell, Clark, West Middlesex, Shenango Township, South Pymatuning Township, Lackawannock Township, Brookfield Township, Pymatuning Township. Nearby on the map:
Source: Water quality: USGS National Water Information System results for Mercer County wells, served through the Water Quality Portal, sampled between 1928 and 2023, retrieved 2026-09-14. Each well counts once, as the median of its samples. The 0.3 mg/L iron and 0.05 mg/L manganese marks are EPA secondary standards, which are aesthetic limits, not health limits. Well depth: USGS groundwater site inventory for Mercer County, 2,406 wells with a recorded depth, retrieved 2026-09-14.
A LITTLE CLARITY
Hermitage Questions.
Straight Answers.
What is the orthophosphate in Hermitage’s water for?
It’s a corrosion inhibitor. EPA lists it on the Aqua PA Shenango Valley plant for corrosion control, alongside a pH adjustment and lime and soda ash. It forms a thin coating inside pipes that helps keep metal from dissolving into the water. It doesn’t replace a lead test for your own plumbing, which is a separate question.
Should I test for lead in Hermitage if the system numbers are low?
If your home has older plumbing, it’s worth it. The system figure is the 90th percentile across many sampled homes, so it describes the supply as a whole, not your kitchen tap. A certified lab can measure lead at your faucet, and if it turns up, a reverse osmosis unit at the kitchen sink deals with it.
Is fluoride added to Hermitage’s public water?
Yes. Fluoridation appears on the plant’s EPA treatment list, so fluoride is added before the water reaches homes on the Aqua system. A home on a private well gets whatever fluoride is naturally in its water, which a certified lab can measure if you want to know the number.
Do you test water in Hermitage?
Yes. Chatfield’s water test and consultation cover Hermitage from our Greenville office, about 23 minutes away by road. The test measures what is in your water and at what level, and any equipment it points to is quoted after the results.
Talk with the Chatfield team.
(724) 588-2652A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE GOES A LONG WAY
Know Your Water.
WATER PROBLEMSDo you have hard water?
The signs, the county hardness record, and how to confirm it.
WATER PROBLEMSOrange stains from your well water.
Read the stain, the county iron record, and what to note before you call.
WATER PROBLEMSBacteria in your water.
What a coliform result means, what to do now, and which treatment follows.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Better Water in Hermitage
Starts with a Test.
Call or fill out the form to schedule your water test. We’ll come out from Greenville, measure what is in the water, and recommend the equipment that fits.