City of Rochester water quality
Rochester, NY · serves 210,000 people (62,000 connections) · Surface water · Local government · EPA ID NY2704518
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Buys water from Monroe County Water Authority. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
Summary
An unresolved health-based violation.
Is it an emergency? No: these findings are about longer-term exposure, and nothing in EPA's data calls for you to stop drinking the water today. If your utility ever issues a boil-water or do-not-drink notice, follow it.
- PFAS
- Not detectedNone of 29 PFAS found above EPA's reporting limits in 8 samples (2023–2025).
- Lead
- Below action level5.8 ppb (parts per billion) at the 90th percentile: 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below it. Action level 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in Nov 2027. Monitoring period ending Jun 2026. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- 1 unresolved1 health-based violation since 2016, most recently Jan 2025.
- Built before 1986, or not sure what your service line is made of? Check your service line and test your tap. Utility data can't show your pipes.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read City of Rochester's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report). It lists every regulated contaminant tested and is usually on the utility's website or mailed with your bill, and you can also request it at (585) 428-6097. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 2 entry points tested Feb 2023 to Nov 2023. "Average" is the highest entry-point average (non-detects counted as zero), the way EPA compares UCMR 5 results to the limits. ppt = parts per trillion. These results do not determine compliance.
| Contaminant | Highest average |
|---|---|
| PFOA Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFOS Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFHxS Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| PFNA Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Not detected Limit 1 | – |
| PFBS Not detected Guideline 2,000 ppt | – |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Not detected Guideline 3,000 ppt | – |
New York has its own PFAS limits. PFOA 10 ppt (this system's highest average: not detected), PFOS 10 ppt (this system's highest average: not detected). State compliance is judged on the state's own sampling, so ask the utility or the state program whether it meets them.
29 PFAS tested, 0 detected at least once. "Not detected" means below EPA's reporting limit (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical), not proven zero. PFAS not listed were not detected. The limits for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and the Hazard Index were proposed for rescission in May 2026. That proposal is not final. Systems have until 2029 to meet the limits.
Lithium
Not detected in 8 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 5.8 ppb lead (Jan 2026 – Jun 2026). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 11.7 ppb (Dec 2018).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2026 – Jun 2026 | 5.8 ppb |
| Jul 2025 – Dec 2025 | 6.8 ppb |
| Jan 2025 – Jun 2025 | 6.2 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jul 2024 – Dec 2024 | 8.9 ppb |
| Jan 2024 – Jun 2024 | 9 ppb |
| Jul 2023 – Dec 2023 | 9.5 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2021 | 9.02 ppb |
| Jan 2016 – Dec 2018 | 11.7 ppb |
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2015 | 9.6 ppb |
| Jan 2010 – Dec 2012 | 10 ppb |
| Jan 2007 – Dec 2009 | 4.3 ppb |
| Jan 2004 – Dec 2006 | 9.1 ppb |
Lead comes from pipes and fixtures, not the source water, so it varies home to home. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 sampled homes were at or below it. More on lead.
Violations
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | The system did not install the treatment required to keep lead and copper from dissolving out of pipes. EPA record: Lead and Copper Rule · OCCT/SOWT Treatment Installation/Demonstration (limit TT ) Unaddressed |
Health-based violations mean a contaminant exceeded a limit or a required treatment step was missed. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or reports were late or missing, so the water's quality during that time is unknown. The total includes every violation in EPA's records, most of them paperwork.
Earlier EPA testing (2013–2020)
| Contaminant | Highest | Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Manganese | 0.84 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chlorate | 120 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 1 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.14 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chromium-6 | 0.1 ppb | – |
Where it serves
Rochester
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 14466, 14605, 14606, 14607, 14608, 14609, 14610, 14611, 14612, 14613, 14614, 14615, 14616, 14617, 14618, 14619, 14620, 14621, 14622, 14623, 14624
Nearby utilities
- Monroe County Water Authority Rochester · same area
- Greenfield Water District Hyde Park · 19 mi · PFAS above limit
- Brinkerhoff Water District Fishkill · 27 mi · PFAS above limit
- North Point Creek Apartments Ltd. Water System Catskill · 32 mi · PFAS above limit
- Kiryas Joel Water System Kiryas Joel · 33 mi
- Chester Village Water System Chester · 33 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is City of Rochester water safe to drink?
City of Rochester has 1 unresolved health-based violation on record. EPA testing found no PFAS above the federal limits. Federal data can't tell you about your own pipes: lead comes from service lines and plumbing, so test your tap if your home was built before 1986. For the official word, read the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Does City of Rochester water have PFAS?
EPA tested City of Rochester for 29 PFAS between Feb 2023 and Nov 2023 and none were detected above the reporting limits (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical).
What is the lead level in City of Rochester water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for City of Rochester is 5.8 ppb, for the period ending Jun 2026. The federal action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in November 2027. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below this number. Individual homes can be higher.
Check these numbers yourself
Every figure on this page comes from public EPA records. You don't have to take our word for it:
- EPA's own report for NY2704518: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID NY2704518).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask City of Rochester at (585) 428-6097, or see EPA's guide to finding it.
Found something that doesn't match? Tell us and we'll check it against EPA's records. How we check our data.
Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.