Is Buffalo Water Authority Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

Water source: Surface water
Ownership: Local government
Counties served: Erie

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

103

violations on file

still open

Violation	Type	Status	Period
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2002-07-01 → 2002-07-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2002-07-01 → 2002-07-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1994-11-01 → 1994-11-30
RPT	Monitoring	Resolved	2024-10-17
RPT	Monitoring	Resolved	2024-10-17
RPT	Monitoring	Resolved	2024-10-17
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2024-07-01
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2024-07-01
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2024-07-01
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2020-01-01 → 2020-03-31

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 95th percentile of this system's samples — over 100% is worth reading, but is not by itself a violation. Where a single sample came in higher than that percentile, it is noted under the bar. Formal violations are listed separately.

Contaminant	Level vs EPA limit	Detection rate	Source	Period
Chloroform	33 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 50 µg/L	363/363	SYR4	2012–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	13 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 22 µg/L	363/364	SYR4	2012–2019
TTHM	51 µg/L 64% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L worst single sample: 70 µg/L	363/363	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	28 µg/L 47% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 37 µg/L	363/363	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromochloromethane	5.695 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 9.5 µg/L	362/363	SYR4	2012–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	11 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 15 µg/L	362/364	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromodichloromethane	14 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 18 µg/L	360/360	SYR4	2012–2019
Monobromoacetic Acid	4.725 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 6.7 µg/L	56/366	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromoacetic Acid	1.4 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 7 µg/L	55/366	SYR4	2012–2019
Monochloroacetic Acid	3.705 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 4.7 µg/L	40/366	SYR4	2012–2019
Nitrate	357 µg/L 3.6% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 360 µg/L	24/24	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	0.0040 mg/L 27% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	16/16	LCR	2025
Fluoride	927 µg/L 23% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 940 µg/L	14/14	SYR4	2012–2019
Barium	23 µg/L 1.2% of the EPA limit 2000 µg/L	13/13	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromoform	0.5845 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 0.5900 µg/L	12/366	SYR4	2012–2019
Chromium	5.1 µg/L 5.1% of the EPA limit 100 µg/L worst single sample: 5.2 µg/L	2/14	SYR4	2012–2019
Nitrate-Nitrite	333.5 µg/L 3.3% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 340 µg/L	2/3	SYR4	2012–2017
Copper	15 µg/L 1.2% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L	1/1	SYR4	2014

86 contaminants tested, none detected

1,1,1-Trichloroethane1,1,2-Trichloroethane1,1-Dichloroethylene1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene1,2-Dichloroethane1,2-Dichloropropane11Cl-PF3OUdS2,3,7,8-TCDD2,4,5-TP2,4-D4:2 Fts6:2 Fts8:2 Fts9Cl-PF3ONSAdonaAntimony, TotalArsenicAsbestosAtrazineBhc-GammaBenzeneBenzo(A)PyreneBeryllium, TotalChlorobenzeneCyanideCadmiumCarbofuranCarbon TetrachlorideChlordaneDichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDinosebEthylene DibromideEndrinEthylbenzeneHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoMercuryMethoxychlorNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitriteOxamylPfbaPFBSPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpaPfhpsPfhxaPFHXSPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPFOAPFOSPfpeaPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSeleniumSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneThallium, TotalTolueneTotal Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)ToxapheneTrichloroethyleneVinyl Chloridecis-1,2-DichloroethyleneLithiumO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: MERLO, PETER
Phone: 716-851-4766
Email: [email protected]

Frequently asked questions about Buffalo Water Authority

Is Buffalo Water Authority tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 18 contaminants in Buffalo Water Authority'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 Buffalo Water Authority's water?

EPA monitoring detected Chloroform, Dichloroacetic Acid, TTHM, Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5), Dibromochloromethane, and others. The full list with the level and data source for each is above.

How many people does Buffalo Water Authority serve?

Buffalo Water Authority reports serving 276,000 people in New York, per its EPA record.

Has Buffalo Water Authority had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 103 violations on file for Buffalo Water Authority, of which 3 are health-based (a contaminant limit or required treatment was breached) and 0 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.