Is New York City Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

Water source: Surface water
Ownership: Local government
Counties served: Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond

Compliance record

Formal violations the EPA has on file for this supplier. A health-based violation means a contaminant limit or a required treatment was breached; the rest are monitoring or reporting failures — still violations, but not a measured health risk.

health-based violations

violations on file

still open

Violation	Type	Status	Period
TT	Health-based	Addressed	2017-02-01
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2012-10-01 → 2012-10-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2012-10-01 → 2012-10-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2012-10-01 → 2012-10-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2006-03-01 → 2006-03-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2006-03-01 → 2006-03-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2006-03-01 → 2006-03-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2006-03-01 → 2006-03-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2005-06-01 → 2005-06-30
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2005-01-01 → 2005-03-31

Other contaminants detected

Each bar shows the measured level as a share of the EPA limit: green is well under, amber is close to it, red is over. For lead and copper the limit applies to exactly the 90th-percentile figure shown, so red there means a real exceedance. For everything else the limit applies to a running annual average while the figure is the single worst sample on record — over 100% is worth reading, but is not by itself a violation. Formal violations are listed separately.

Contaminant	Level vs EPA limit	Detection rate	Source	Period
Nitrate	545 µg/L 5.5% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L	828/828	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	74 µg/L No EPA limit set	643/643	SYR4	2012–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	32 µg/L No EPA limit set	643/643	SYR4	2012–2019
TTHM	80 µg/L 100% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L	643/643	SYR4	2012–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	43 µg/L No EPA limit set	643/643	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	67 µg/L 112% of the EPA limit, in the worst sample — 60 µg/L	642/642	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromodichloromethane	10 µg/L No EPA limit set	623/643	SYR4	2012–2019
Nitrate-Nitrite	545 µg/L 5.5% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L	410/410	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	0.0150 mg/L 100% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	36/36	LCR	2024
Dibromochloromethane	2 µg/L No EPA limit set	25/643	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromoform	6.1 µg/L No EPA limit set	20/643	SYR4	2012–2019
Monochloroacetic Acid	3.1 µg/L No EPA limit set	19/643	SYR4	2012–2019
Monobromoacetic Acid	2.37 µg/L No EPA limit set	1/643	SYR4	2012–2019

33 contaminants tested, none detected

11Cl-PF3OUdS4:2 Fts6:2 Fts8:2 Fts9Cl-PF3ONSAdonaArsenicDibromoacetic AcidHfpo-DaNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitritePfbaPFBSPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpaPfhpsPfhxaPFHXSPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPFOAPFOSPfpeaPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaLithium

Utility contact

Contact: MODICA, ANTONINO
Email: ModicaA@dep.nyc.gov

Frequently asked questions about New York City

Is New York City tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 13 contaminants in New York City's water. A detection isn't the same as a violation — most levels are within federal limits. See each level and source above, and the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report for its official compliance status.

What contaminants were detected in New York City's water?

EPA monitoring detected Nitrate, Chloroform, Dichloroacetic Acid, TTHM, Trichloroacetic Acid, and others. The full list with the level and data source for each is above.

How many people does New York City serve?

New York City reports serving 8,271,000 people in New York, per its EPA record.

Has New York City had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 47 violations on file for New York City, of which 19 are health-based (a contaminant limit or required treatment was breached) and 1 remain open. The rest are monitoring or reporting failures.

Where does this data come from?

Every figure is official EPA drinking-water monitoring — the Lead & Copper Rule, the UCMR-5 nationwide testing program, and the EPA Six-Year Review — not our own testing. Each number is labelled with its source and period.