Is Brookhaven, NY tap water safe?
Supplied by Suffolk County Water Authority · serves 1.1 million people (336,418 connections) · Groundwater · EPA ID NY5110526
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Brookhaven gets its water from Suffolk County Water Authority. Parts of the city are served by 3 smaller systems: Brookhaven National Laboratory Water System (3,500 people), Seaview Water Company (1,400 people), Calverton Hills Owners Association (897 people). Your water bill names your system.
Summary
PFAS above the 2024 federal limits. Systems have until 2029 to meet the PFAS limits.
Is it an emergency? No: PFAS limits are about years of exposure, not a glass of water, 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
- Above limitPFOA, PFOS above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOA 6.05 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, PFOS 12.1 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Below action level1.25 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 2025 – now, still in progress (results reported so far). Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved1 health-based violation since 2016, most recently Jul 2020.
- Pregnant, or mixing baby formula with tap water? Babies drink more water for their size, so PFAS exposure matters more for them. Consider bottled water or a filter certified for PFAS for formula, and ask your doctor. Health effects.
- To lower your PFAS exposure now, a home filter certified for PFAS reduction works (reverse osmosis, or activated carbon certified to NSF/ANSI 53 or 58). Filters for these results.
- 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 Suffolk 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: (631) 563-0258.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 242 entry points tested Jan 2023 to Sep 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 Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 6.05 ppt 1.51× the limit |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 12.1 ppt 3.02× the limit |
| PFHxS Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 6.85 ppt 69% of the limit |
| PFNA Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 4.95 ppt 50% of the limit |
| 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) Detected, below limit Limit 1 | 0.69 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 3.5 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 7.25 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 37 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 30.9 ppt |
| PFHpA Detected, no limit | 7.3 ppt |
| 6:2 FTS Detected, no limit | 18.2 ppt |
What the utility says it is doing: The utility said in May 2025 that it brought 17 new granular activated carbon treatment systems online in the past year and was well on its way to meeting the 4 ppt PFOA/PFOS standard.
Source: Statement from SCWA Chairman Charlie Lefkowitz in Response to EPA Announcement on PFAS Standards, 2025-05-15. Collected by us on Nov 14, 2026, not from EPA's data. Ask the utility for the latest.
New York has its own PFAS limits. PFOA 10 ppt (this system's highest average: 6.05 ppt), PFOS 10 ppt (this system's highest average: 12.1 ppt, above it). State compliance is judged on the state's own sampling, so ask the utility or the state program whether it meets them.
For context: the PFOA average is higher than at 95% of the New York systems EPA tested and the PFOS average is higher than at 99% of the New York systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 10 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 482 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 1.25 ppb lead (Jan 2025 – now (in progress)). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 2.32 ppb (Dec 2024).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2025 – now (in progress) | 1.25 ppb |
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2025 | 1.27 ppb |
| Jan 2022 – Dec 2024 | 2.32 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2023 | 0.9 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2021 | 1.31 ppb |
| Jan 2018 – Dec 2020 | 1.52 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2019 | 1.97 ppb |
| Jan 2016 – Dec 2018 | 1.41 ppb |
| Jan 2015 – Dec 2017 | 2.17 ppb |
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2016 | 1.2 ppb |
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2015 | 1.5 ppb |
| Jan 2012 – Dec 2014 | 1.4 ppb |
Lead service lines: Suffolk County Water Authority publishes a service line inventory where you can look up what your line is made of. It doesn't publish summary counts.
Look up your address · Source (the utility, collected by us on Nov 14, 2026, not EPA data) · Checking your own line
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 |
|---|---|
| Jul 2020 | The running annual average for Asbestos was above the legal limit. EPA record: Asbestos · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · measured 26.6 mfl (limit 7 MFL) 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 | 177 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Vanadium | 6.97 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chlorate | 386 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.17 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Cobalt | 7.49 ppb | 70 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 1.18 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 5.59 ppb | – |
| 1,2,3-Trichloropropane (TCP) | 1.02 ppb | 0.0004 ppb |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 4.34 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
Where it serves
Brookhaven, Southampton, Islip, Huntington, East Hampton, Riverhead, Southold, Smithtown, Babylon
94 ZIP codes the system reported serving
11701, 11702, 11703, 11704, 11705, 11706, 11713, 11715, 11716, 11717, 11718, 11719, 11720, 11721, 11722, 11724, 11725, 11726, 11727, 11729, 11730, 11731, 11733, 11735, 11738, 11740, 11741, 11742, 11743, 11746, 11747, 11749, 11751, 11752, 11754, 11755, 11757, 11763, 11764, 11766, 11767, 11768, 11769, 11770, 11772, 11776, 11777, 11778, 11779, 11780, 11782, 11784, 11786, 11787, 11788, 11789, 11790, 11792, 11794, 11795, 11796, 11798, 11901, 11933, 11934, 11935, 11937, 11939, 11940, 11941, 11942, 11944, 11946, 11948, 11949, 11950, 11951, 11952, 11953, 11954, 11955, 11957, 11958, 11961, 11963, 11964, 11965, 11967, 11968, 11971, 11976, 11977, 11978, 11980
Nearby utilities
- South Huntington Water District Huntington · 22 mi
- Jericho Water District Oyster Bay · 29 mi
- Locust Valley Water District Oyster Bay · 29 mi · PFAS above limit
- Westbury Water District Westbury · 34 mi · PFAS above limit
- Glen Cove City Water System Glen Cove · 36 mi · PFAS above limit
- Roslyn Water District Roslyn · 36 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Brookhaven tap water safe to drink?
Most of Brookhaven gets its water from Suffolk County Water Authority. Suffolk County Water Authority had 1 health-based violation since 2016, all since resolved. EPA testing found PFAS above the 2024 federal limits, which systems must meet by 2029. 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 Brookhaven water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Suffolk County Water Authority found 10 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA and PFOS: PFOA 6.05 ppt, PFOS 12.1 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Brookhaven water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Suffolk County Water Authority is 1.25 ppb, for the monitoring period that began Jan 2025 (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 NY5110526: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID NY5110526).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- Suffolk 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: (631) 563-0258.
- Suffolk 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.