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Is Amherst Tap Water Safe to Drink?

Yes! Generally Safe to Drink*

LAST UPDATED: 7:47 pm, August 6, 2022
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Table of Contents

Can You Drink Tap Water in Amherst?

Yes, Amherst's tap water is generally considered safe to drink as Amherst has no active health based violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) that we are aware of. Other factors such as lead piping in a home, or low levels of pollutants on immunocompromised individuals, should also be considered, however. To find more recent info we might have, you can check out our boil water notice page, the city's water provider website, or Amherst's local Twitter account.

According the EPA’s ECHO database, from April 30, 2019 to June 30, 2022, Amherst's water utility, Ecwa Amherst, had 0 violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act. For more details on the violations, please see our violation history section below. This assessment is based on the Ecwa Amherst water system, other water systems in the city may have different results.

While tap water that meets the EPA health guidelines generally won’t make you sick to your stomach, it can still contain regulated and unregulated contaminants present in trace amounts that could potentially cause health issues over the long-run. These trace contaminants may also impact immunocompromised and vulnerable individuals.

The EPA is reviewing if it’s current regulations around pollutant levels in tap water are strict enough, and the health dangers posed by unregulated pollutants, like PFAS.

Water Quality Report for Amherst Tap Water

The most recent publicly available numbers for measured contaminant levels in Amherst tap water are in its 2020 Water Quality Report. As you can see, there are levels which the EPA considers to be acceptable, but being below the maximum allowable level doesn’t necessarily mean the water is healthy.

Lead in tap water, for example, is currently allowed at up to 15ppb by the EPA, but it has set the ideal goal for lead at zero. This highlights how meeting EPA standards doesn’t necessarily mean local tap water is healthy.

EPA regulations continue to change as it evaluates the long term impacts of chemicals and updates drinking water acceptable levels. The rules around arsenic, as well as, lead and copper are currently being re-evaluated.

There are also a number of "emerging" contaminants that are not currently. For example, PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), for which the EPA has issued a health advisory. PFAS are called "forever chemicals" since they tend not to break down in the environment or the human body and can accumulate over time.

We recommend looking at the contaminants present in Amherst's water quality reports, or getting your home's tap water tested to see if you should be filtering your water.

Amherst Tap Water Safe Drinking Water Act Violation History - Prior 10 Years

Below is a ten year history of violations for the water system named Ecwa Amherst for Amherst in New York. For more details please see the "What do these Violations Mean?" section below.

Is there Lead in Amherst Water?

Based on the EPA’s ECHO Database, 90% of the samples taken from the Amherst water system, Ecwa Amherst, between sample start date and sample end date, were at or below, 0.0078 mg/L of lead in Amherst water. This is 52.0% of the 0.015 mg/L action level. This means 10% of the samples taken from Amherst contained more lead.

While Amherst water testing may have found 0.0078 mg/L of lead in its water, that does not mean your water source has the same amount. The amount of lead in water in a city can vary greatly from neighborhood to neighborhood, or even building to building. Many buildings, particularly older ones, have lead pipes or service lines which can be a source of contamination. To find out if your home has lead, we recommend getting you water tested.

No amount of lead in water is healthy, only less dangerous. As lead accumulates in our bodies over time, even exposure to relatively small amounts can have negative health effects. For more information, please check out our Lead FAQ page.

Are there PFAS in Amherst Tap Water?

Currently, testing tap water for PFAS isn’t mandated on a national level. We do have a list of military bases where there have been suspected or confirmed leaks. There appears to be at least one military base - Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station - near Amherst with suspected leaks.

With many potential sources of PFAS in tap water across the US, the best information we currently have about which cities have PFAS in their water is this ewg map, which you can check to see if Amherst has been evaluated for yet.

Our stance is better safe than sorry, and that it makes sense to try to purify the tap water just in case.

What do these Violations Mean?

Safe Drinking Water Act Violations categories split into two groups, health based, and non-health based. Generally, health based violations are more serious, though non-health based violations can also be cause for concern.

Health Based Violations

  1. Maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) - maximum allowed contaminant level was exceeded.
  2. Maximum residual disinfectant levels (MRDLs) - maximum allowed disinfectant level was exceeded.
  3. Other violations (Other) - the exact required process to reduce the amounts of contaminants in drinking water was not followed.

Non-Health Based Violations

  1. Monitoring and reporting violations (MR, MON) - failure to conduct the required regular monitoring of drinking water quality, and/or to submit monitoring results on time.
  2. Public notice violations (Other) - failure to immediately alert consumers if there is a serious problem with their drinking water that may pose a risk to public health.
  3. Other violations (Other) - miscellaneous violations, such as failure to issue annual consumer confidence reports or maintain required records.

SDWA Table Key

Field Description
Compliance Period Dates of the compliance period.
Status Current status of the violation.
  • Resolved - The violation has at least one resolving enforcement action. In SDWIS, this indicates that either the system has returned to compliance from the violation, the rule that was violated was no longer applicable, or no further action was needed.
  • Archived - The violation is not Resolved, but is more than five years past its compliance period end date. In keeping with the Enforcement Response Policy, the violation no longer contributes to the public water system's overall compliance status. Unresolved violations are also marked as Archived when a system ceases operations (becomes inactive).
  • Addressed - The violation is not Resolved or Archived, and is addressed by one or more formal enforcement actions.
  • Unaddressed - The violation is not Resolved or Archived, and has not been addressed by formal enforcement.
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Health-Based? Whether the violation is health based.
Category Code
The category of violation that is reported.
  • TT - Treatment Technique Violation
  • MRDL - Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level
  • Other - Other Violation
  • MCL - Maximum Contaminant Level Violation
  • MR - Monitoring and Reporting
  • MON - Monitoring Violation
  • RPT - Reporting Violation
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Code A full description of violation codes can be accessed in the SDWA_REF_CODE_VALUES (CSV) table.
Contaminant Code A code value that represents a contaminant for which a public water system has incurred a violation of a primary drinking water regulation.
Rule Code Code for a National Drinking Water rule.
  • 110 - Total Coliform Rule
  • 121 - Surface Water Treatment Rule
  • 122 - Long Term 1 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule
  • 123 - Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule
  • 130 - Filter Backwash Rule
  • 140 - Ground Water Rule
  • 210 - Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule
  • 220 - Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule
  • 230 - Total Trihalomethanes
  • 310 - Volatile Organic Chemicals
  • 331 - Nitrates
  • 332 - Arsenic
  • 333 - Inorganic Chemicals
  • 320 - Synthetic Organic Chemicals
  • 340 - Radionuclides
  • 350 - Lead and Copper Rule
  • 410 - Public Notice Rule
  • 420 - Consumer Confidence Rule
  • 430 - Miscellaneous
  • 500 - Not Regulated
  • 111 - Revised Total Coliform Rule
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Rule Group Code Code that uniquely identifies a rule group.
  • 120 - Surface Water Treatment Rules
  • 130 - Filter Backwash Rule
  • 140 - Groundwater Rule
  • 210 - Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule
  • 220 - Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule
  • 230 - Total Trihalomethanes
  • 310 - Volatile Organic Chemicals
  • 320 - Synthetic Organic Chemicals
  • 330 - Inorganic Chemicals
  • 340 - Radionuclides
  • 350 - Lead and Copper Rule
  • 400 - Other
  • 500 - Not Regulated
  • 110 - Total Coliform Rules
  • 410 - Public Notice Rule
  • 420 - Consumer Confidence Rule
  • 430 - Miscellaneous
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Rule Family Code Code for rule family.
  • 100 - Microbials
  • 200 - Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule
  • 300 - Chemicals
  • 400 - Other
  • 500 - Not Regulated
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For more clarification please visit the EPA's data dictionary.

Amherst Water - Frequently Asked Questions

HOW DO I CONTACT AMHERST CUSTOMER SERVICE?
To contact customer service for the Amherst water provider, Ecwa Amherst, please use the information below.
By Mail: 350 ELLICOTT SQUARE BUILDING
BUFFALO, NY, 14203
HOW TO PAY BILL FOR ECWA AMHERST
Already have an account?

Existing customers can login to their Ecwa Amherst account to pay their Amherst water bill by clicking here.

Want to create a new account?

If you want to pay your Ecwa Amherst bill online and haven't made an account yet, you can create an account online. Please click here to create your account to pay your Amherst water bill.

Want to pay without an account?

If you don't want to make an account, or can't remember your account, you can make a one-time payment towards your Amherst water bill without creating an account using a one time payment portal with your account number and credit or debit card. Click here to make a one time payment.

HOW TO START & STOP AMHERST WATER SERVICE
Starting Your Service

Moving to a new house or apartment in Amherst means you will often need to put the water in your name with Ecwa Amherst. In order to put the water in your name, please click the link to the start service form below. Start service requests for water bills typically take two business days.

Start Service Form

Want to create a new account?

Leaving your house or apartment in Amherst means you will likely need to take your name off of the water bill with Ecwa Amherst. In order to take your name off the water bill, please click the link to the stop service form below. Stop service for water bills requests typically take two business days.

Stop Service Form

USER SUBMITTED RATINGS

Amherst tap water
  • Drinking Water Pollution and Inaccessibility 23% Low
  • Water Pollution 41% Moderate
  • Drinking Water Quality and Accessibility 78% High
  • Water Quality 59% Moderate

The above data is comprised of subjective, user submitted opinions about the water quality and pollution in Amherst, measured on a scale from 0% (lowest) to 100% (highest).

Related FAQS

Contaminants


Erie County Waterr Authority - Amherst

EWG's drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by the water utility and provided to the Environmental Working Group by the New York Department of Health - Bureau of Public Water Supply Protection, as well as information from the U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History database (ECHO). For the latest quarter assessed by the U.S. EPA (January 2019 - March 2019), tap water provided by this water utility was in compliance with federal health-based drinking water standards.

Utility details

  • Serves: 80228
  • Data available: 2012-2017
  • Data Source: Purchased surface water
  • Total: 20

Contaminants That Exceed Guidelines

  • Bromodichloromethane*
  • Chloroform*
  • Chromium (hexavalent)*
  • Dibromochloromethane*
  • Dichloroacetic acid*
  • Radium%2C combined (-226 & -228)*
  • Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs)*
  • Trichloroacetic acid*

Other Detected Contaminants

  • Barium*
  • Bromoform*
  • Chlorate*
  • Chromium (total)*
  • Dibromoacetic acid*
  • Fluoride*
  • Haloacetic acids (HAA5)*
  • Molybdenum*
  • Monochloroacetic acid*
  • Nitrate*
  • Strontium*
  • Vanadium*

Reminder

Always take extra precautions, the water may be safe to drink when it leaves the sewage treatment plant but it may pick up pollutants during its way to your tap. We advise that you ask locals or hotel staff about the water quality. Also, note that different cities have different water mineral contents.

Sources and Resources

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It is unfortunate but true that millions of Americans rely on bottled water to stay healthy. If you live in the Amherst, New Hampshire area, then you know how much of a problem drinking tap water can be. You might also have some questions about the bottled variety and the different types of filtration systems available to you.

First and foremost, if you are concerned about the quality of tap water in your home, don''t be. While it''s true that many bottled brands have better filtration technology than regular tap water, most of them still use what is called reverse osmosis.

There is absolutely no need for anyone to drink reverse osmosis water. In fact, research has shown that the chemical contaminants in tap water, particularly lead, are more of a threat than lead found in older pipes and water lines.

The best system for protecting your tap water is a multi-stage system. The type of system you use depends on your needs and where you live

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