Onondaga County Water Authority water quality
Syracuse, NY · serves 350,000 people (100,948 connections) · Surface water · Public/private · EPA ID NY3304336
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Buys water from City of Syracuse. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Detected, below limit1 of 29 PFAS found at least once. All averages below the federal limits.
- Lead
- Below action level8 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 Jan 2026 – now, still in progress (results reported so far). Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- None health-basedNo health-based violations since 2016.
- 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 Onondaga County Water Authority's 2026 water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (315) 455-7061.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 3 entry points tested Mar 2023 to Dec 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 Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 1.4 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, 1 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 12 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 8 ppb lead (Jan 2026 – now (in progress)). Below action level
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2026 – now (in progress) | 8 ppb |
| Jan 2025 – Dec 2025 | 7 ppb |
| Jul 2024 – Dec 2024 | 7 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2024 – Jun 2024 | 4 ppb |
| Jul 2023 – Dec 2023 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2022 | 6.4 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2019 | 4.7 ppb |
| Jan 2015 – Dec 2017 | 4.8 ppb |
| Jan 2012 – Dec 2014 | 3.6 ppb |
| Jan 2009 – Dec 2011 | 2.8 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2006 – Dec 2008 | 3.7 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
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 | 4.7 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 1.2 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Vanadium | 0.3 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.14 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 0.19 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chlorate | 380 ppb | 210 ppb |
Where it serves
68 ZIP codes the system reported serving
13027, 13028, 13029, 13030, 13031, 13032, 13036, 13037, 13039, 13041, 13042, 13044, 13057, 13060, 13066, 13069, 13074, 13076, 13078, 13080, 13082, 13084, 13088, 13090, 13103, 13104, 13108, 13110, 13112, 13113, 13115, 13116, 13120, 13123, 13126, 13131, 13132, 13135, 13138, 13152, 13156, 13157, 13159, 13162, 13164, 13167, 13201, 13204, 13205, 13206, 13207, 13208, 13209, 13210, 13211, 13212, 13214, 13215, 13219, 13220, 13221, 13308, 13316, 13401, 13402, 13421, 13471, 13501
Nearby utilities
- City of Syracuse Syracuse · same area
- Mohawk Valley Water Authority Utica · 46 mi
- Chenango Consolidated Water District #1 Chenango · 58 mi · PFAS above limit
- Sidney Village Water System Sidney · 67 mi · PFAS above limit
- Waverly Village Water System Barton · 68 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Binghamton Binghamton · 70 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Onondaga County Water Authority water safe to drink?
Onondaga County Water Authority has no health-based violations since 2016. 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 Onondaga County Water Authority water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Onondaga County Water Authority found 1 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in Onondaga County Water Authority water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Onondaga County Water Authority is 8 ppb, for the monitoring period that began Jan 2026 (still in progress). 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 NY3304336: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID NY3304336).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- Onondaga County Water Authority's 2026 water quality report: the utility's own annual report, including contaminants EPA's national database doesn't carry (link checked Nov 14, 2026). Phone: (315) 455-7061.
- Onondaga County Water Authority website
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.