Jefferson County, NY Water Quality

About Jefferson County water

How water works in Jefferson County

Jefferson County (county seat: Watertown) mixes municipal water systems in its cities, villages, and denser towns with private wells that remain common in its more rural areas. Which setup you have — and therefore how you check your water — depends on your specific address, not just the county.

Here, water comes from Adirondack lakes and rivers, the St. Lawrence and Lake Champlain basins, and local wells.

Your provider

Water system providers in Jefferson County

In Jefferson County, water is supplied by the City of Watertown (Black River). 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 Jefferson County

Federal EPA drinking-water records list 57 active community water systems serving Jefferson County, together reported to serve about 114,507 people. The largest are shown below (by population served). Click a PWS ID for that system's federal report.

…and 42 more, mostly smaller community systems. Full federal records for every system are on EPA ECHO.

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 Jefferson County

Of the 57 community water systems serving Jefferson County, federal EPA records show 26 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 Jefferson County water is typically like

North Country water is often soft where it comes from Adirondack lakes and rivers, but rural wells can carry iron, manganese, hardness, or naturally occurring arsenic in places.

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.

PFAS monitoring (EPA UCMR5)

PFAS monitoring results in Jefferson County

Under the EPA's fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5), 4 water systems in Jefferson County tested for 29 PFAS compounds and lithium in 2023–2025. Of those, 3 had at least one PFAS detection, and 1 had a detection of PFOA or PFOS (the two PFAS New York regulates most strictly).

How to read this: These are occurrence-monitoring results, not compliance determinations. New York's enforceable limit (MMCL) is 10 ppt each for PFOA and PFOS; a monitoring result above that is a signal to look closer, not automatically a violation — and a system may have added treatment or changed sources since it was sampled. Values are the highest detected at any sampling point, in parts per trillion (ppt). Always check the system's current Consumer Confidence Report for its latest status. Source: EPA UCMR5 (data collected 2023–2025). See PFAS explained and NY drinking water standards.

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.

Detailed local guides

Town & city water guides in Jefferson County

Deeper guides naming the specific water provider and local context for each place:

Watertown

Find your report

How to find your water provider and report

1. Check a recent water bill for your water system or district name.
2. Look up that system and its most recent Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) using the official tools below.
3. On a private well? A CCR won't apply — see our private well testing guide.

• NYSDOH Drinking Water Protection Program
• EPA ECHO · EPA SDWIS federal reports
• Our step-by-step CCR finder guide

Confirm it's your water

Make sure a report is actually yours

1. 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.
2. Match that PWS ID to the systems table above (or search it on EPA ECHO).
3. Open that system's current CCR for the official results and any notices.
4. 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 Jefferson 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. See our lead & copper guide and utility report vs. home tap test.

Communities

Cities, towns, villages, and hamlets in Jefferson County

Local guidance in Jefferson County is most relevant to these cities, towns, villages, and hamlets (this is a starter list for an upstate county — more communities are added over time):

• Watertown
• Carthage
• Clayton
• Alexandria Bay
• Adams
• Cape Vincent
• Sackets Harbor

Representative ZIP codes

A sample of ZIP codes in Jefferson County (not a complete list; one ZIP can span multiple systems):

• 13601
• 13619
• 13624
• 13607
• 13605

Improve your water

Common Jefferson County home water steps

Authoritative resources

Official & academic water resources for Jefferson County

For primary data and research beyond this guide, these New York agencies and universities are the authoritative sources:

• NYSDOH — Drinking Water Protection Program
• NYSDEC — Water
• USGS — New York Water Science Center
• Cornell University — NYS Water Resources Institute: Drinking Water

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Who provides drinking water in Jefferson County?

the City of Watertown (Black River). Federal records list 57 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County water hard or soft?

North Country water is often soft where it comes from Adirondack lakes and rivers, but rural wells can carry iron, manganese, hardness, or naturally occurring arsenic in places.

Are there water-quality violations in Jefferson County?

Federal EPA records show 26 of the county's 57 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.

Last reviewed: July 2026