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Updated 2026-09-16
State water report

New York Water Quality: 122 Cities Ranked by the Records

Water quality across 122 cities in New York, drawn from EPA drinking-water records. Each city page shows the measured contaminants and a reproducible Purity Score.

Finding by finding

What New York's records show

Counts of cities whose serving system reported each result. There is no statewide score: PurityMap does not average local records into a statewide safety verdict. 4 cities have a past health-based violation on record.

PFAS above a 2024 limit

MCL

21of 122 cities

Cities whose system reported a PFAS above its federal limit.

PFOS in New York →

Nitrate above the MCL

MCL

0of 122 cities

Cities whose system reported nitrate above 10 mg/L.

About nitrate →

Hard or very hard

No federal limit

0of 122 cities

Above 120 mg/L as CaCO₃ (7 gpg) on the USGS scale, of 2 cities with a hardness value.

About hard water →
City rankings

New York cities ranked by the records

Highest first. A summary of each serving system’s record, not a safety verdict.

  1. 1
    Bethpage WdBETHPAGE WD · NY2902817
    Report →
  2. 2
    Wheatfield WdWHEATFIELD WD · NY3100585
    Report →
  3. 3
    New Castle/Stanwood W DNEW CASTLE/STANWOOD W.D. · NY5903442
    Report →
  4. 4
    BataviaBATAVIA CITY · NY1800544
    Report →
  5. 5
    Malone VMALONE V · NY1600008
    Report →
  6. 6
    HempsteadTOWN OF HEMPSTEAD WATER DEPARTMENT · NY2900000
    Report →
  7. 7
    Greenburgh Consolidated WdGREENBURGH CONSOLIDATED WD #1 · NY5903429
    Report →
  8. 8
    South Huntington DistrictSOUTH HUNTINGTON WATER DISTRICT · NY5103263
    Report →
  9. 9
    White PlainsWHITE PLAINS CITY · NY5903464
    Report →
  10. 10
    ElmiraELMIRA WATER BOARD · NY0701008
    Report →

Showing the top 10 of 122 scored cities.

See all 122 in the table

122 cities, highest Purity Score first

  1. 1Bethpage Wd
    BETHPAGE WD · PWSID NY2902817 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFAS detected, none above a limitDetected
  2. 2Wheatfield Wd
    WHEATFIELD WD · PWSID NY3100585 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  3. 3New Castle/Stanwood W D
    NEW CASTLE/STANWOOD W.D. · PWSID NY5903442 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  4. 4Batavia
    BATAVIA CITY · PWSID NY1800544 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    6:2 FTS 70 ng/L detected, no federal or state limitDetected
  5. 5Malone V
    MALONE V · PWSID NY1600008 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  6. 6Hempstead
    TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD WATER DEPARTMENT · PWSID NY2900000 · Purity Score 99/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFPeA 4.2 ng/L detected, no federal or state limit; lead 1 µg/LDetected
  7. 7Greenburgh Consolidated Wd
    GREENBURGH CONSOLIDATED WD #1 · PWSID NY5903429 · Purity Score 99/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 1.29 µg/LDetected
  8. 8South Huntington District
    SOUTH HUNTINGTON WATER DISTRICT · PWSID NY5103263 · Purity Score 99/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 1.3 µg/LDetected
  9. 9White Plains
    WHITE PLAINS CITY · PWSID NY5903464 · Purity Score 99/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 1.25 µg/LDetected
  10. 10Elmira
    ELMIRA WATER BOARD · PWSID NY0701008 · Purity Score 99/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 1.1 µg/LDetected
  11. 11Hicksville Wd
    HICKSVILLE WD · PWSID NY2902829 · Purity Score 99/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFPeA 3.3 ng/L detected, no federal or state limit; lead 1 µg/LDetected
  12. 12Freeport (V)
    FREEPORT (V) · PWSID NY2902823 · Purity Score 99/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 1.3 µg/LDetected
Showing 12 of 122.

Ranked by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, highest first. Scores belong to water systems; there is no state 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. See how New York compares with other states.

By contaminant

PFAS, lead and hard water in New York

Counties

New York counties

31 counties with city reports
Show all 31 counties
Suppliers

Largest water systems

  • NEW YORK CITY SYSTEMNew York City · NY7003493 · 8,271,000 served
  • SUFFOLK COUNTY WATER AUTHORITYSuffolk County · NY5110526 · 1,100,000 served
  • BUFFALO WATER AUTHORITYBuffalo · NY1400422 · 276,000 served
  • YONKERS CITYYonkers · NY5903465 · 211,569 served
  • ROCHESTER CITYRochester · NY2704518 · 210,000 served
  • SYRACUSE CITYSyracuse · NY3304334 · 192,000 served
All water systems →
Full indexAll 122 New York city reports, A–Z
Next step

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Test your own tap

Plumbing inside a building can add lead and change what reaches your glass.

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Treat by concern

Only after a city report names a finding, match a treatment certified for it.

Treatment options →
Questions

New York water, frequently asked

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How does New York tap water compare across cities?

PurityMap ranks 122 cities in New York 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 Bethpage Wd's main water system: BETHPAGE WD · PWSID NY2902817 · Purity Score 100 (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 New York cities have PFAS above the federal limit?

21 cities of 122 had at least one regulated PFAS (PFOA, PFOS or PFHxS) measured above the 2024 federal limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Suffolk County (PFOS 17.4 ng/L), Corning (PFOA 12.2 ng/L), Albertson Wd (PFOA 12 ng/L). PFAS were detected at any level in 41.

Is there lead in New York tap water?

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 111 of 122 New York 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.

Have New York water systems had drinking-water violations?

4 cities in New York have a health-based violation in the federal SDWIS record within about the last ten years. Each city report lists the contaminant, year and whether it was resolved.

Does New York have hard water?

Hardness is published in utility water-quality reports for 2 New York cities on record; the hardest is Buffalo at 5.2 grains per gallon. Hardness affects scale and appliances; it is not a health finding.

Limits, sources and corrections

A statewide page cannot tell you what reaches a specific address. Water quality varies by supplier, sampling period and household plumbing; open a city report for the evidence behind a local result.

Sources: EPA UCMR 5 (PFAS, 2024), SDWIS Lead and Copper Rule 90th-percentile results and health-based violations, and utility Consumer Confidence Reports where on file. Every city report links its dated source records.

Updated 2026-09-16. How PurityMap analyzes water data · Report an error