New York State water contamination report: PFAS levels in 200+ water systems, lead samples, NYC vs upstate, military base impact, and EPA test data by ZIP.
New York's 19.5 million residents are served by water systems that range from one of the best in the world to some of the most troubled in the Northeast. New York City's water supply – drawn from the Catskill, Delaware, and Croton watershed systems – serves over 8 million people and is one of only a handful of major US surface water systems that is unfiltered, owing to aggressive watershed protection. Upstate, the picture is more varied. Cities like Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Albany operate their own systems drawing from the Great Lakes, Finger Lakes, and local reservoirs. Smaller communities and rural areas rely on groundwater wells, and it is in these smaller systems where PFAS contamination has hit hardest.
New York's PFAS contamination story is driven primarily by industrial sources rather than military bases, though both contribute. The most prominent cases include Hoosick Falls, where a Saint-Gobain/Honeywell plastics manufacturing facility contaminated the village's public water supply with PFOA, and Newburgh, where PFOS from firefighting foam use at the former Stewart Air National Guard Base was found in Washington Lake, the city's drinking water source.
The Hoosick Falls case became a national flashpoint in 2015-2016 when residents discovered PFOA in their tap water at levels far exceeding federal health advisories. The state initially moved slowly, but public pressure and media attention forced an aggressive response. New York subsequently adopted enforceable MCLs of 10 parts per trillion for both PFOA and PFOS – stricter than the EPA's 2024 standard of 4 ppt at the time they were set, though the federal standard has since gone lower.
Beyond these high-profile cases, PFAS has been detected at numerous locations across the state, including Long Island (where a shallow aquifer serves as the sole drinking water source for millions), the Hudson Valley, and communities near industrial facilities throughout upstate New York. The EPA's UCMR5 data combined with New York State Department of Health testing provides extensive coverage. Our data integrates all available sources to map contamination at the address level.
New York is among the most proactive states on PFAS, though it arrived at that position partly through the embarrassment of the Hoosick Falls and Newburgh crises, which revealed gaps in the state's initial response. The state has since invested significantly in testing, treatment funding, and regulatory enforcement.
Compared to neighboring New Jersey – the national leader on PFAS regulation – New York covers fewer individual compounds but has been aggressive on the two most common ones (PFOA and PFOS). Compared to Connecticut and Massachusetts, New York has a larger and more complex contamination landscape simply due to its size and industrial history.
The Hudson River corridor carries its own legacy of contamination. While PCBs from General Electric are the most well-known pollutant, the industrial history along the river means multiple contaminant classes, including PFAS, are present in the watershed. Long Island's sole-source aquifer designation makes it particularly vulnerable – there is no backup water supply if the aquifer is contaminated.
New York's water quality varies enormously depending on whether you are in the New York City watershed system, on a Great Lakes municipal supply, in a small upstate community, or on a private well on Long Island.
1. Check your water quality using our free lookup tool. We map state DOH testing, UCMR5 data, and utility reports to your ZIP code for a clear picture of what has been detected. 2. A reverse osmosis system provides the most reliable PFAS removal – over 90% for most compounds. Even in areas where utilities have installed treatment, point-of-use filtration adds a margin of safety. Our water filter guide compares systems by independent lab performance. 3. Long Island residents and upstate private well owners should pay particular attention to testing. Request a detailed water report for your address to see all available data.
For more on PFAS science, see our PFAS guide.
New York's water infrastructure history is a study in contrasts. New York City invested in watershed protection beginning in the late 19th century, creating a system of reservoirs and aqueducts stretching over 100 miles into the Catskills. The city's Watershed Protection Program, formalized in the 1990s, has kept the water clean enough to avoid the construction of a filtration plant that would have cost over $10 billion – a rare case where upstream land management proved cheaper and more effective than downstream treatment.
Upstate, the picture is less favorable. Industrial communities along the Hudson, Mohawk, and other river corridors accumulated decades of contamination. The Hoosick Falls PFOA crisis exposed how a single manufacturing facility could contaminate an entire community's water supply without detection for years. The village ultimately received a new water treatment system, and the state filed lawsuits against the responsible companies.
Newburgh's PFOS contamination prompted the city to switch from Washington Lake to a backup well system while treatment was installed. The state provided funding for the transition, but the experience illustrated how military contamination can affect civilian water supplies miles from the base boundary.
Long Island's water quality has been a concern since the mid-20th century, when suburban development and industrial activity began affecting the shallow aquifer. Volatile organic compounds, nitrates, and now PFAS have all been detected, and the island's hydrogeology – a sole-source aquifer with no alternative supply – means every contamination event is existential for local water systems. Check your specific address to see the latest monitoring data for your location.