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Is New York Tap Water Safe to Drink?

Yes! Generally Safe to Drink*

LAST UPDATED: 7:47 pm, August 2, 2022
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Table of Contents

Can You Drink Tap Water in New York?

Yes, New York's tap water is generally considered safe to drink as New York 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 New York's local Twitter account.

According the EPA’s ECHO database, from April 30, 2019 to June 30, 2022, New York's water utility, New York City System, had 0 violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act. For more details on the violations, please see our violation history section below. The last violation for New York was resolved on Oct. 31, 2012. This assessment is based on the New York City System 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 New York Tap Water

The most recent publicly available numbers for measured contaminant levels in New York 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 New York's water quality reports, or getting your home's tap water tested to see if you should be filtering your water.

New York Tap Water Safe Drinking Water Act Violation History - Prior 10 Years

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

For the compliance period beginning Feb. 1, 2017, New York had 1 health-based Safe Drinking Water Act violation with the violation category being Treatment Technique Violation, more specifically, the violation code was Treatment Technique Uncovered Reservoir which falls into the Microbials rule code group, and the Surface Water Treatment Rules rule code family for the following contaminant code: Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule.

From Oct. 1, 2012 to Oct. 31, 2012, New York had 1 health-based Safe Drinking Water Act violation with the violation category being Treatment Technique Violation, more specifically, the violation code was Treatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) which falls into the Microbials rule code group, and the Surface Water Treatment Rules rule code family for the following contaminant code: Surface Water Treatment Rule.

From April 1, 2012 to April 30, 2012, New York had 1 non-health based Safe Drinking Water Act violation with the violation category being Monitoring and Reporting, more specifically, the violation code was Monitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Unfilt/GWR) which falls into the Microbials rule code group, and the Surface Water Treatment Rules rule code family for the following contaminant code: Surface Water Treatment Rule.

Is there Lead in New York Water?

Based on the EPA’s ECHO Database, 90% of the samples taken from the New York water system, New York City System, between sample start date and sample end date, were at or below, 0.012 mg/L of lead in New York water. This is 80.0% of the 0.015 mg/L action level. This means 10% of the samples taken from New York contained more lead.

While New York water testing may have found 0.012 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 New York 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 - BETHPAGE NY NWIRP - near New York 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 New York 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.

New York SDWA Violation History Table - Prior 10 Years

Compliance Period Status Health-Based? Category Code Code Rule Code Contaminant Code Rule Group Code Rule Family Code
02/01/2017 - Addressed Yes Treatment Technique Violation (TT) Treatment Technique Uncovered Reservoir (47) Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (123) Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (0800) Microbials (100) Surface Water Treatment Rules (120)
10/01/2012 - 10/31/2012 Resolved Yes Treatment Technique Violation (TT) Treatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) (41) Surface Water Treatment Rule (121) Surface Water Treatment Rule (0200) Microbials (100) Surface Water Treatment Rules (120)
04/01/2012 - 04/30/2012 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Unfilt/GWR) (31) Surface Water Treatment Rule (121) Surface Water Treatment Rule (0200) Microbials (100) Surface Water Treatment Rules (120)

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
show details

For more clarification please visit the EPA's data dictionary.

New York Water - Frequently Asked Questions

IS THERE LEAD IN MY DRINKING WATER?
New York City’s award-winning tap water is delivered virtually lead-free through 7,000 miles of lead-free aqueducts, tunnels, and water mains in the city’s water supply system. However, homes built prior to 1961 may have lead service lines (which connect your house to the city’s water main in the street), and some homes, regardless of the year they were built, could have household plumbing and internal fixtures that contain lead. Although New York City takes extensive steps to protect water in homes that may have lead in their plumbing, lead from plumbing may still be released into a home's drinking water. It is possible that lead levels at your home may be higher than at other homes in the community as a result of materials used in your home’s plumbing. DEP is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. Visit nyc.gov/leadfree to view an interactive map. This map offers historical information largely based on third-party plumbing records, supplemented, in some cases by information gathered during inspections. DEP offers free lead test kits to all New York City residents. Call 311 or visit nyc.gov/apps/311 to request a free lead test kit. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791) or at epa.gov/safewater/lead. Exposure to lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women, infants, and young children. For more information, visit nyc.gov/lead.
HOW CAN I FIND OUT IF I HAVE A LEAD SERVICE LINE?
Visit nyc.gov/leadfree to view an interactive map. This map offers historical information largely based on third-party plumbing records, supplemented, in some cases by information gathered during inspections. DEP offers free lead test kits to all New York City residents. Call 311 or visit nyc.gov/apps/311 to request a free lead test kit. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791) or at epa.gov/safewater/lead. Exposure to lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women, infants, and young children. For more information, visit nyc.gov/lead.
HOW CAN I TEST THE WATER IN MY HOME?
DEP offers free lead test kits to all New York City residents. Call 311 or visit nyc.gov/apps/311 to request a free lead test kit. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791) or at epa.gov/safewater/lead. Exposure to lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women, infants, and young children. For more information, visit nyc.gov/lead.
WHAT ARE THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF LEAD?
Exposure to lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women, infants, and young children. For more information, visit nyc.gov/lead.
HOW CAN I LIMIT MY LEAD EXPOSURE?
Run Your Tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking, when your water has been sitting for several hours. Use Cold Water for cooking, drinking, or preparing infant formula. Hot tap water is more likely to contain lead and other metals. Remove & Clean the faucet screen monthly (also called an aerator), where small particles can get trapped. Hire a licensed plumber to identify and replace plumbing fixtures and/or service line that contain lead.
HOW TO READ THE NEW YORK CITY 2020 DRINKING WATER QUALITY TESTING RESULTS
The following section of this report compares the quality of your tap water to federal and state standards for each parameter (if applicable). The monitoring results show that New York City’s drinking water met all drinking water standards in 2020. The following tables reflect the compliance monitoring results for all regulated and non-regulated parameters, the number of samples collected, the range of values detected, the average of the values detected, and the possible sources of the parameters, unless otherwise footnoted. The monitoring frequency of each parameter varies and is parameter specific. Data presented are for the Catskill/ Delaware and Croton supplies, which were the only sources of water in 2020. The table on page 15 represents those parameters monitored for, but not detected in any sample. Most of our data are representative of 2020 testing; concentrations of parameters or contaminants do not change frequently.
HOW DO I CONTACT NEW YORK CUSTOMER SERVICE?
To contact customer service for the New York water provider, New York City System, please use the information below.
By Mail: 59-17 Junction Blvd.
FLUSHING, NY, 11373
HOW TO PAY BILL FOR NEW YORK CITY SYSTEM
Already have an account?

Existing customers can login to their New York City System account to pay their New York water bill by clicking here.

Want to create a new account?

If you want to pay your New York City System 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 New York 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 New York 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 NEW YORK WATER SERVICE
Starting Your Service

Moving to a new house or apartment in New York means you will often need to put the water in your name with New York City System. 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 New York means you will likely need to take your name off of the water bill with New York City System. 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

Is New York Tap Water Safe to Drink? Tap water & safety quality

The estimated price of bottled water

$2.34 in USD (1.5-liter)

USER SUBMITTED RATINGS

New York tap water
  • Drinking Water Pollution and Inaccessibility 27% Low
  • Water Pollution 47% Moderate
  • Drinking Water Quality and Accessibility 73% High
  • Water Quality 53% Moderate

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

Related FAQS

Contaminants


New York City System

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: 8958659
  • Data available: 2012-2017
  • Data Source: Surface water
  • Total: 16

Contaminants That Exceed Guidelines

  • Bromodichloromethane
  • Bromoform
  • Chloroform
  • Chromium (hexavalent)
  • Dibromochloromethane
  • Dichloroacetic acid
  • Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs)
  • Trichloroacetic acid

Other Detected Contaminants

  • 1%2C4-Dioxane
  • Chlorate
  • Chromium (total)
  • Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
  • Monochloroacetic acid
  • Nitrate
  • Nitrate and nitrite
  • Strontium

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

Current Weather in New York City

NEW YORK WEATHER

Some of the Convenience Stores in New York

Sunrise Mart Convenience store
Sunrise Mart
  • Sunrise Mart 日本local food
  • New Rochelle APlus at Sunoco
  • 7-Eleven
  • Duane Reade
  • Speedway Gas Station
  • On the Run
  • QuickChek
  • Greenwich Village Farm
  • West 82 Grocery Inc
  • 99 Cents

Estimated Price of Bottled Water

VolumeUSDEURGBP
1.5-liter$2.30€2.06£1.84
500ml$0.89€0.81 £0.72

Can you drink tap water in New York? It is safe to drink tap water in New York despite horrific news about lead-contaminated water in Flint, Mich. No wonder some people now doubted drinking tap water in New York.

New York City

New Yorkers are proud to announce that the water is safe. Thankful to people who started the aqueduct system 175 years ago.

The government also invested billions in preserving water quality.

The water can get contaminated once moves into pipes that supply individual buildings, homes, and even schools that occurred recently in Newark, New Jersey.

Living in an older house that may have lead pipes, it is recommended to take precautions to reduce the risk of lead contamination. You need to run tap water for 30 seconds every morning.

Source of Water in New York

The majority of New York’s water supply comes from the Catskill/Delaware basin. And the remaining 10 percent comes the Croton basin. The basin lies beyond a million acres, owned both by public and private sectors. It is highly regulated to make sure contaminants stay out of the water.

For more information, check the“New York City Drinking Water Supply and Quality Report for 2018.

People may also request a printed copy of the latest quality results, or for questions about any information, please call 311.

Relative links:

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