Chemung County, New York: drinking water report. Chemung County in southern New York has about 84,000 residents, with Elmira as the county seat.
Chemung County in southern New York has about 84,000 residents, with Elmira as the county seat. The Chemung River and groundwater wells supply the area's drinking water. The county's industrial history centers on glass manufacturing – Corning Incorporated's operations have been the economic anchor for generations, and the glass and ceramics industry left a distinct environmental footprint.
Industrial solvent contamination from manufacturing operations has affected groundwater in the Elmira area. According to NYSDEC's 2024 site investigation records, TCE plumes from multiple industrial sites in the Chemung River valley have merged into a complex contamination zone beneath the city. The Elmira Water Board draws from surface water upstream of the most affected groundwater areas.
The Elmira Corning Regional Airport has documented AFFF use. A 2024 NYSDEC PFAS investigation found PFOS at 15 ppt in monitoring wells near the airport – above New York's proposed MCL of 10 ppt. Flooding – the Chemung River valley is prone to it – can temporarily affect both surface and groundwater quality by mobilizing contaminated sediments.
Chemung County's industrial legacy is concentrated in the valley floor, where most people live. If you are on a private well in the Elmira area, testing for VOCs and PFAS provides the most relevant information about your specific exposure.
Check your water for data at your address. For chlorinated solvents and PFAS, reverse osmosis handles both. Our water filter guide covers systems rated for industrial contaminant removal. Get your detailed report for historical data, and visit our New York page for statewide patterns.
Drinking water is one exposure route. These federal datasets also cover Chemung County, NY.
The EPA places Chemung County, NY in Zone 1 - the EPA's highest-risk category, where the predicted average indoor radon level is above 4 pCi/L. Zone maps predict an area's radon potential from geology and existing indoor readings; they say nothing about a specific house. Testing is the only way to know your own level.
81% of homes in Chemung County, NY were built before 1980, and 40% before 1950. Residential lead paint was banned in 1978, so housing age is the strongest available proxy for lead-paint exposure. This describes the county's housing stock, not any one home.
Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) in Chemung County, NY averages 6.2 µg/m³, within the EPA's annual standard of 9 µg/m³. These are CDC modelled county estimates rather than readings from a specific monitor.
How radon zones work · Air quality by county · Lead exposure guide