Is New York, NY tap water safe?
Supplied by New York City System · serves 8.3 million people (727,058 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID NY7003493
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of New York gets its water from New York City System. Parts of the city are served by a smaller system: Cedar Valley Waterworks (300 people). Your water bill names your system.
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Not detectedNone of 29 PFAS found above EPA's reporting limits in 16 samples (2023–2025).
- Lead
- Below action level10 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 Dec 2024. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved1 health-based violation since 2016, most recently Feb 2017.
- 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 New York City System's 2025 water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 4 entry points tested Oct 2023 to Jan 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 16 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 10 ppb lead (Jan 2024 – Dec 2024). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 12 ppb (Dec 2021).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2024 – Dec 2024 | 10 ppb |
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2023 | 11 ppb |
| Jan 2022 – Dec 2022 | 11 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2021 | 12 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2020 | 11 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2019 | 10 ppb |
| Jan 2018 – Dec 2018 | 11 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2017 | 11 ppb |
| Jan 2016 – Dec 2016 | 11 ppb |
| Jan 2015 – Dec 2015 | 12 ppb |
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2014 | 11 ppb |
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2013 | 11 ppb |
Lead service lines: New York City System's inventory lists 117,561 lead, 3,050 galvanized lines that need replacing, 114,473 of unknown material out of 817,567 service lines (as of 2026-01-30). Counted by us from the utility's or state's published line-by-line inventory data.
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 |
|---|---|
| Feb 2017 | Treated water was stored in an uncovered reservoir without the required treatment. EPA record: Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule · Treatment Technique Uncovered Reservoir (limit ) Addressed |
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 | 20 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chlorate | 200 ppb | 210 ppb |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.082 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.097 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chromium-6 | 0.057 ppb | – |
Where it serves
New York
309 ZIP codes the system reported serving
10001, 10002, 10003, 10004, 10005, 10006, 10007, 10008, 10009, 10010, 10011, 10012, 10013, 10014, 10016, 10017, 10018, 10019, 10020, 10021, 10022, 10023, 10024, 10025, 10026, 10027, 10028, 10029, 10030, 10031, 10032, 10033, 10034, 10035, 10036, 10037, 10038, 10039, 10040, 10041, 10043, 10044, 10045, 10055, 10060, 10065, 10069, 10075, 10080, 10081, 10087, 10090, 10095, 10101, 10102, 10103, 10104, 10105, 10106, 10107, 10108, 10109, 10110, 10111, 10112, 10113, 10114, 10115, 10116, 10117, 10118, 10119, 10120, 10121, 10122, 10123, 10124, 10125, 10126, 10128, 10129, 10130, 10131, 10132, 10133, 10138, 10150, 10151, 10152, 10153, 10154, 10155, 10156, 10157, 10158, 10159, 10160, 10161, 10162, 10163, 10164, 10165, 10166, 10167, 10168, 10169, 10170, 10171, 10172, 10173, 10174, 10175, 10176, 10177, 10178, 10179, 10185, 10199, 10203, 10211, 10212, 10213, 10242, 10249, 10256, 10257, 10258, 10259, 10260, 10261, 10265, 10268, 10269, 10270, 10271, 10272, 10273, 10274, 10275, 10276, 10277, 10278, 10279, 10280, 10281, 10282, 10285, 10286, 10292, 10301, 10302, 10303, 10304, 10305, 10306, 10307, 10308, 10309, 10310, 10311, 10312, 10313, 10314, 10451, 10452, 10453, 10454, 10455, 10456, 10457, 10458, 10459, 10460, 10461, 10462, 10463, 10464, 10465, 10466, 10467, 10468, 10469, 10470, 10471, 10472, 10473, 10474, 10475, 10499, 11101, 11102, 11103, 11104, 11106, 11109, 11120, 11201, 11202, 11203, 11204, 11205, 11206, 11207, 11208, 11209, 11210, 11211, 11212, 11213, 11214, 11215, 11216, 11217, 11218, 11219, 11220, 11221, 11222, 11223, 11224, 11225, 11226, 11228, 11229, 11230, 11231, 11232, 11233, 11234, 11235, 11236, 11237, 11238, 11239, 11241, 11242, 11243, 11245, 11247, 11249, 11251, 11252, 11256, 11351, 11352, 11354, 11355, 11356, 11357, 11358, 11359, 11360, 11361, 11362, 11363, 11364, 11365, 11366, 11367, 11368, 11369, 11370, 11371, 11372, 11373, 11374, 11375, 11377, 11378, 11379, 11380, 11381, 11385, 11386, 11405, 11411, 11413, 11414, 11415, 11416, 11417, 11418, 11419, 11420, 11421, 11422, 11423, 11424, 11425, 11426, 11427, 11428, 11429, 11430, 11431, 11432, 11433, 11434, 11435, 11436, 11439, 11451, 11690, 11691, 11692, 11693, 11694, 11695, 11697
Nearby utilities
- Liberty Utilities New York – Lynbrook Lynbrook · 14 mi
- Garden City Park Water District New Hyde Park · 14 mi · PFAS above limit
- Village of Garden City Garden City · 16 mi · PFAS above limit
- Village of Williston Park Williston Park · 17 mi · PFAS above limit
- Village of Mineola Mineola · 17 mi · PFAS above limit
- Albertson Water District North Hempstead · 17 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is New York tap water safe to drink?
Most of New York gets its water from New York City System. New York City System had 1 health-based violation 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 New York water have PFAS?
EPA tested New York City System for 29 PFAS between Oct 2023 and Jan 2025 and none were detected above the reporting limits (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical).
What is the lead level in New York water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for New York City System is 10 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2024. 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 NY7003493: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID NY7003493).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- New York City System's 2025 water quality report: the utility's own annual report, including contaminants EPA's national database doesn't carry (link checked Nov 14, 2026).
- New York City System 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.