Erie County Water Quality: 4 Cities Ranked by the Records
Erie County, New York: 4 city reports built from EPA and utility records. A county has many suppliers; each city shows the system that serves it.
Highest result for each contaminant
One row per contaminant: the highest result any system in the county reported, against its limit. Open a row for the systems behind it.
Lead (90th percentile)Detected in 4 systems15 µg/L federal action level · US EPAHighest9.85 µg/L
- ECWA LANCASTER9.85 µg/LMonitoring period: 2020–2022
- ECWA ORCHARD PARK9.85 µg/LMonitoring period: 2020–2022
- ECWA DIRECT6 µg/LMonitoring period: 2025–2025
- BUFFALO WATER AUTHORITY3 µg/LMonitoring period: 2026–2026 (still open)
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)Detected in 1 system80 ppb federal MCL · US EPAHighest47.3 ppb
- BUFFALO WATER AUTHORITY47.3 ppbReporting year: 2025
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)Detected in 1 system60 ppb federal MCL · US EPAHighest22.2 ppb
- BUFFALO WATER AUTHORITY22.2 ppbReporting year: 2025
FluorideDetected in 1 system4.0 mg/L · US EPAHighest0.28 mg/L
- BUFFALO WATER AUTHORITY0.28 mg/LReporting year: 2025
CopperDetected in 1 system1.3 mg/L (action level) · US EPAHighest0.09 mg/L
- BUFFALO WATER AUTHORITY0.09 mg/LReporting year: 2025
ArsenicDetected in 1 system0.010 mg/L · US EPAHighest0.00006 mg/L
- BUFFALO WATER AUTHORITY0.00006 mg/LReporting year: 2025
Water hardnessDetected in 1 systemAesthetic, no federal health limit · USGSHighest5.2 gpg
- BUFFALO WATER AUTHORITY5.2 gpgReporting year: 2025
30 substances tested, none detected in any systemShow
Tested in these 2 systems: BUFFALO WATER AUTHORITY, ECWA DIRECT
- 11-Chloroeicosafluoro-3-oxaundecane-1-sulfonic acid (11Cl-PF3OUdS)
- 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecane sulfonic acid (8:2 FTS)
- 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (4:2 FTS)
- 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (6:2 FTS)
- 4,8-Dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoic acid (ADONA)
- 9-Chlorohexadecafluoro-3-oxanone-1-sulfonic acid (9Cl-PF3ONS)
- Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) (GenX chemicals)
- Lithium
- N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NEtFOSAA)
- N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NMeFOSAA)
- Nonafluoro-3,6-dioxaheptanoic acid (NFDHA)
- Perfluoro (2-ethoxyethane) sulfonic acid (PFEESA)
- Perfluoro-3-methoxypropanoic acid (PFMPA)
- Perfluoro-4-methoxybutanoic acid (PFMBA)
- Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)
- Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)
- Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA)
- Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA)
- Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS)
- Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)
- Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)
- Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)
- Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
- Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)
- Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)
- Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS)
- Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)
- Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA)
- Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA)
- Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA)
Cities ranked by the records
Ranked by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, highest first. Scores belong to water systems; there is no county score. The score is computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record, so this ranks the record, not which city's water is safest. How the score works.
0of 4 cities above the 15 µg/L action level
Based on each system's 90th-percentile result. Lead from household plumbing isn't in this record.
Lead in New York1city reports hardness · Buffalo, 5.2 gpg
None above 7 gpg, the USGS threshold for hard water. An aesthetic measure with no federal health limit.
Hard water explainedLargest water systems
- CheektowagaECWA DIRECT · NY1400443313,380 served
- BuffaloBUFFALO WATER AUTHORITY · NY1400422276,000 served
- LancasterECWA LANCASTER · NY140042129,018 served
- Orchard ParkECWA ORCHARD PARK · NY142176224,582 served
Frequently asked
How does Erie County tap water compare across cities?
PurityMap ranks 4 cities in Erie County by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record. Scores belong to water systems, not to cities. The highest published score is Cheektowaga's main water system: ECWA DIRECT · PWSID NY1400443 · Purity Score 93 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level. The ranking compares the records, not which city's water is safest, and your own tap can differ with household plumbing.
How many Erie County cities had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit?
None of the 4 Erie County city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing. PFAS were detected below the limit in 0.
Is there lead in Erie County tap water?
Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 4 of 4 Erie County cities reported a value above zero, and none was above the 15 µg/L federal action level. Lead usually comes from a building's own pipes and fixtures, so only a test at your tap tells you what you drink.
Does Erie County have hard water?
Hardness is published in utility water-quality reports for 1 Erie County city on record; the hardest is Buffalo at 5.2 grains per gallon. Hardness affects scale and appliances; it is not a health finding.
Follow Erie County's water
Get an email when a city record in the county changes.
Record changes only
We email when places in Erie County get new results. Unsubscribe any time.
Follow Erie County's water →