Updated 2026-10-15
County water report

Onondaga County Water Quality: 2 Cities Ranked by the Records

Onondaga County, New York: 2 city reports built from EPA and utility records. A county has many suppliers; each city shows the system that serves it.

Across the county's systems

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 2 systems15 µg/L federal action level · US EPAHighest12 µg/L
  • SYRACUSE CITY12 µg/LMonitoring period: 2025–2025
  • OCWA8 µg/LMonitoring period: 2026–2026 (still open)
Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)Detected in 1 system of 2 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest5.6 ng/L
  • OCWA5.6 ng/LSample date: 2023-03-20 to 2023-12-18
  • SYRACUSE CITYNot detected · below 5.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2024-09-11 to 2025-06-17
29 substances tested, none detected in any systemShow

Tested in these 2 systems: OCWA, SYRACUSE CITY

  • 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)
  • 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)
2 cities

Cities ranked by the records

Showing 2 of 2 cities · scores are system-level, not tap tests

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.

PFAS in Onondaga CountyPFAS detected in 1 of 2 cities; none had a sample above a 2024 EPA limit
4.0 ng/L federal MCL · PFOS, ng/LPFAS in New York
Lead

0of 2 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 York
Who supplies the county

Largest water systems

  1. FairmountOCWA · NY3304336
    350,000 served
  2. SyracuseSYRACUSE CITY · NY3304334
    192,000 served
Questions

Frequently asked

How does Onondaga County tap water compare across cities?

PurityMap ranks 2 cities in Onondaga 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 Fairmount's main water system: OCWA · PWSID NY3304336 · Purity Score 91 (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 Onondaga County cities had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit?

None of the 2 Onondaga 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 1.

Is there lead in Onondaga County tap water?

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 2 of 2 Onondaga 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.

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