Niagara County, New York: drinking water report. Niagara County on the U.S.-Canadian border has about 212,000 residents, anchored by Niagara Falls and…
Niagara County on the U.S.-Canadian border has about 212,000 residents, anchored by Niagara Falls and Lockport. Most communities draw from Lake Ontario or the Niagara River through the Niagara County Water District and municipal systems. The county's association with Love Canal – the abandoned chemical dump that became the defining environmental disaster of the 1970s – still shapes how residents think about contamination.
Love Canal was not an isolated incident. Niagara County hosts over 20 active or former Superfund sites, many tied to the chemical industry that once powered the local economy. According to NYSDEC records from 2024, groundwater contamination from these sites includes hexachlorobenzene, trichloroethylene, and dioxins. The Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station also contributed PFAS contamination through AFFF use.
The EPA's UCMR5 data detected PFAS in multiple Niagara County water systems. A 2024 NYS Department of Health investigation found that four public water systems in the county had PFAS levels requiring enhanced monitoring. The Niagara River itself carries contaminants from both U.S. and Canadian industrial sources.
Niagara County's density of contamination sites means the risk varies significantly by location. Residents near former chemical facilities or the Air Reserve Station face different exposure profiles than those on the Lake Ontario supply in the northern part of the county.
Check your water for current data at your specific address. For the range of industrial contaminants common in this region, reverse osmosis provides the broadest household protection. Our water filter guide details which systems handle which compound classes. Pull your detailed report for site-specific history, and visit our New York page for statewide data.