Is Troy, NY tap water safe?
Supplied by Troy City Public Water System · serves 51,401 people (13,269 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID NY4100050
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Troy gets its water from Troy City Public Water System. Parts of the city are served by a smaller system: Brunswick Water District #11 (249 people). Your water bill names your system.
Summary
Lead above the action level.
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 4 samples (2023–2025).
- Lead
- Above action level110 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
- Resolved3 health-based violations since 2016, most recently Oct 2021.
- Lead was above the action level in some homes sampled. 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.
- Want to reduce what was found? Filters for these results.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read Troy City Public Water System'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 (518) 636-3518. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 1 entry point tested May 2024 to Feb 2025. "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 4 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 110 ppb lead (Jan 2026 – Jun 2026). Above action level
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2026 – Jun 2026 | 110 ppb |
| Jul 2025 – Dec 2025 | 10.6 ppb |
| Jan 2025 – Jun 2025 | 1.29 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jul 2024 – Dec 2024 | 34.7 ppb |
| Jan 2024 – Jun 2024 | 22.9 ppb |
| Jul 2023 – Dec 2023 | 35.4 ppb |
| Jan 2023 – Jun 2023 | 30.9 ppb |
| Jul 2022 – Dec 2022 | 28.3 ppb |
| Jan 2022 – Jun 2022 | 16.2 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2021 | 85.8 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Jun 2020 | 2.5 ppb |
| Jul 2019 – Dec 2019 | 5.4 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 |
|---|---|
| Oct 2021 | After high lead results, the system did not give customers the required information about lead. EPA record: Lead and Copper Rule · Public Education (limit TT ) Resolved |
| Oct 2017 – Jan 2018 2 times | The running annual average for TTHM was above the legal limit. EPA record: TTHM · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · measured 81.6 ug/l (limit 0.080 mg/L) Resolved |
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 | 2 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.09 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Vanadium | 2.27 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chlorate | 206 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.16 ppb | – |
Where it serves
Troy
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 12180, 12182
Nearby utilities
- Latham Water District Colonie · 6 mi
- Albany City Water System Albany · 8 mi
- Schenectady City Water Works Schenectady · 14 mi
- North Point Creek Apartments Ltd. Water System Catskill · 39 mi · PFAS above limit
- Greenfield Water District Hyde Park · 65 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Rochester Rochester · 70 mi
Questions
Is Troy tap water safe to drink?
Most of Troy gets its water from Troy City Public Water System. Troy City Public Water System had 3 health-based violations since 2016, all since resolved. 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 Troy water have PFAS?
EPA tested Troy City Public Water System for 29 PFAS between May 2024 and Feb 2025 and none were detected above the reporting limits (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical).
What is the lead level in Troy water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Troy City Public Water System is 110 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 NY4100050: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID NY4100050).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Troy City Public Water System at (518) 636-3518, 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.