Bronx County, NY Water Quality
New York City · County seat: Bronx. Find your water provider, locate your Consumer Confidence Report, and understand local water in Bronx County.
About Bronx County water
How water works in Bronx County
Bronx County is coextensive with a New York City borough, so nearly every home and business here is on the city's public water system — private wells are essentially nonexistent. The density of older housing, however, means interior plumbing and service lines are the main local water-quality variable.
Here, tap water is unfiltered surface water from the protected Catskill/Delaware and Croton watersheds upstate, disinfected and treated with UV — one of the largest unfiltered surface supplies in the world, run by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
Your provider
Water system providers in Bronx County
In Bronx County, water is supplied by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). One address can still fall within more than one system, so confirm the provider on a recent bill or with the official lookup tools below.
Water systems (federal records)
Community water systems serving Bronx County
Federal EPA drinking-water records list 1 active community water system serving Bronx County, together reported to serve about 8,271,000 people. The largest are shown below (by population served). Click a PWS ID for that system's federal report.
| PWS ID | System | Primary source | Population served | Connections | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NY7003493 | New York City System | Surface water | 8,271,000 | 727,058 | Official CCR ↗ |
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), pulled July 2026. Population and connection figures are SDWIS-reported estimates. This lists community systems only — it excludes private wells and transient systems. Confirm the exact system for an address on a water bill.
Compliance
Violations and notices in Bronx County
Of the 1 community water systems serving Bronx County, federal EPA records show 1 with at least one health-based violation on record over the years. A violation can range from a monitoring/reporting lapse to an exceedance that has since been resolved — open a system's federal report (linked in the table above) or its current Consumer Confidence Report for the specifics and current status.
Water characteristics
What Bronx County water is typically like
New York City's surface supply is naturally soft to moderately hard and low in minerals. Because it is unfiltered, the city manages it through watershed protection rather than a filtration plant. Lead is not present in the source — where it appears, it comes from service lines and interior plumbing in older buildings.
Regional patterns are a general guide only — hardness, iron, and other traits vary by specific system and well. Your CCR (or a well test) is the authoritative source for your address.
Reported contaminant levels
New York City System — reported levels (2025 report (2024 data))
Selected regulated contaminants from this system's official Consumer Confidence Report. "Below/At/Above" compares the reported value to its limit; it does not replace the utility's formal compliance determination.
| Contaminant | Reported level | Limit | vs. limit | Sample yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead (90th percentile) 90th %ile; range ND-155; 16 of 326 sites over 15 ppb AL | 10 ppb | 15 ppb (Action level) | Below | 2024 |
| Copper (90th percentile) | 0.194 ppm | 1.3 ppm (Action level) | Below | 2024 |
| Nitrate range 0.07-0.37 | 0.14 ppm | 10 ppm (MCL) | Below | 2024 |
| Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) locational running avg; range 4-81 | 52 ppb | 80 ppb (MCL) | Below | 2025 report (2024 data) |
| Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) range 7-64 | 47 ppb | 60 ppb (MCL) | Below | 2025 report (2024 data) |
| Total Coliform VERIFY exact positive-sample figure in source | Compliant | — | Below | 2025 report (2024 data) |
| Turbidity distribution avg ~1; single max 13.8; source/filtered rows differ — VERIFY which to show | 1 NTU | — | — | 2025 report (2024 data) |
| Chlorine (residual) free chlorine avg; range ND-1.4 | 0.6 ppm | 4.0 ppm (MRDL) | Below | 2025 report (2024 data) |
| PFOA ND; range up to 2.7 ng/L | Non-Detect | 10 ppt (MCL (NY)) | Below | 2025 report (2024 data) |
Values transcribed from the official CCR (source ↗) as a first-pass reading — always confirm against the full report, which lists every monitored contaminant, ranges, and footnotes. Lead/copper are 90th-percentile action-level results. This is a partial panel; absence of a contaminant here does not mean it wasn't tested.
NYC tap water monitoring (2024)
New York City distribution monitoring, 2024
New York City continuously tests its tap water at hundreds of street-side sampling stations. From 15,061 compliance samples collected across the city in 2024, the reported results were:
| Measure | Result | Standard / context |
|---|---|---|
| Free chlorine (avg) | 0.54 mg/L | Disinfectant residual; federal MRDL is 4.0 mg/L |
| Turbidity (avg) | 0.72 NTU | Cloudiness; lower is clearer (max sample 4.83 NTU) |
| Total coliform-positive samples | 60 of 15,061 (0.40%) | Federal standard: no more than 5% positive per month |
Source: NYC Open Data — Drinking Water Quality Distribution Monitoring Data, 2024 compliance samples. These are operational distribution-system results for the whole city; they are not a substitute for the full NYC annual drinking water supply and quality report, which covers lead, and other regulated contaminants. Lead in NYC water almost always comes from building service lines and plumbing, not the city supply — see the lead section below.
PFAS monitoring (EPA UCMR5)
PFAS testing in Bronx County
1 water system in Bronx County participated in the EPA's fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5), which tested for 29 PFAS compounds and lithium in 2023–2025. In this round, no PFAS were detected above the reporting level in the Bronx County results collected so far. See our New York drinking water standards guide for how PFAS is regulated here.
Read the fine print
What these records don't show
The system and compliance records above come from federal data. Some things people ask about are not captured here and should be confirmed directly:
- Contaminant levels at your tap. Actual values (lead, PFAS, nitrate, disinfection byproducts, etc.) come only from your system's Consumer Confidence Report or your own well test — we do not publish or estimate them.
- Water hardness. Not in the federal system records. Ask your utility for the CCR hardness value or use a home hardness test. See our hard-water guide.
- Taste, odor, color, and staining. These aesthetic issues are not standardized here; your CCR's secondary-contaminant notes and your own observations are the best guide.
- Year-over-year change. We don't track how a system's results changed from last year — compare this year's CCR to last year's using the report links.
Find your report
How to find your water provider and report
- Check a recent water bill for your water system or district name.
- Look up that system and its most recent Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) using the official tools below.
- On a private well? A CCR won't apply — see our private well testing guide.
Confirm it's your water
Make sure a report is actually yours
- Find the provider name and PWS ID printed on your water bill — a town name or ZIP alone is not enough to identify the system.
- Match that PWS ID to the systems table above (or search it on EPA ECHO).
- Open that system's current CCR for the official results and any notices.
- For a point-of-use concern (especially lead), use a certified laboratory test for your specific tap — the system-wide report can meet standards while an individual older home does not.
Lead & older homes
Lead and service lines in Bronx County
Lead is almost never in the water leaving a treatment plant — it typically enters from a lead service line or older home plumbing. A system-wide CCR can meet the lead action level while an individual older home shows a higher result at the tap. New York requires public water systems to inventory their lead service lines, so ask your utility for its inventory, and confirm your own tap with a certified laboratory test. New York City offers a free residential lead test kit through 311. See our lead & copper guide and utility report vs. home tap test.
Communities
Neighborhoods in Bronx County
Local guidance in Bronx County is most relevant to these neighborhoods:
- Riverdale
- Fordham
- Pelham Bay
- Throggs Neck
- Morris Park
- Kingsbridge
- Parkchester
- Mott Haven
- Hunts Point
- Wakefield
- Co-op City
- Soundview
Representative ZIP codes
A sample of ZIP codes in Bronx County (not a complete list; one ZIP can span multiple systems):
- 10451
- 10452
- 10453
- 10454
- 10455
- 10456
- 10457
- 10458
- 10459
- 10460
- 10461
- 10462
- 10463
- 10464
- 10465
- 10466
- 10467
- 10468
- 10469
- 10470
- 10471
- 10472
- 10473
- 10474
- 10475
Improve your water
Common Bronx County home water steps
Test & understand
Start with your CCR (or a well test), then read how to read a water quality report.
Treat the right problem
A clean report often means no equipment is needed. For a confirmed concern, match it to options with our treatment decision matrix — treatment guidance is separate from the regulatory info above and is not a recommendation to buy anything.
Schools & facilities
New York public schools must test for lead — see the NY school lead testing overview.
Get local help
Have a specific question about your Bronx County water? Contact us and we'll point you to the right next step.
Authoritative resources
Official & academic water resources for Bronx County
For primary data and research beyond this guide, these New York agencies and universities are the authoritative sources:
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Who provides drinking water in Bronx County?
the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Federal records list 1 active community water systems in the county. Check a recent water bill or the lookup tools to confirm the exact system serving your address.
How do I find my water quality report in Bronx County?
Every community water system must publish an annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR). Identify your provider first, then request its current CCR from the provider or through NYSDOH. Private wells are not covered by a CCR and must be tested independently.
Is Bronx County water hard or soft?
New York City's surface supply is naturally soft to moderately hard and low in minerals.
Are there water-quality violations in Bronx County?
Federal EPA records show 1 of the county's 1 community water systems with a health-based violation on record over the years; open a system's federal report or current CCR for status.
Does this page publish local test results?
No. We publish the systems, sources, and compliance records that come from federal data, but not address-level contaminant values — those come only from each provider's official CCR and the NYS Department of Health.
NY Water Quality Guide is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with any government agency or utility. System and compliance data on this page come from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (federal records) and describe general Bronx County water; the page does not publish address-level contaminant test results. Confirm current conditions in your provider's latest Consumer Confidence Report or with the NYS Department of Health.
Last reviewed: July 2026