Is Watertown City Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

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

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	Resolved	2025-12-01 → 2025-12-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2025-12-01 → 2025-12-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2022-01-01 → 2022-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2022-01-01 → 2022-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2022-01-01 → 2022-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2022-01-01 → 2022-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2021-10-01 → 2021-12-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2021-10-01 → 2021-12-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2021-10-01 → 2021-12-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2020-07-01 → 2020-09-30

PFAS detected

PFAS are industrial “forever chemicals”. These are the EPA's latest nationwide test results (2023–2025).

Contaminant	Max	Detection rate	Period
PFHXS	0.0039 µg/L	1/4	2025
PFOA	0.0073 µg/L	1/4	2025

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	112 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 140 µg/L	306/308	SYR4	2012–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	38.75 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 50 µg/L	306/306	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromodichloromethane	8.56 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 11 µg/L	305/307	SYR4	2012–2019
TTHM	118 µg/L 148% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 80 µg/L worst single sample: 149 µg/L	305/307	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	78 µg/L 130% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 60 µg/L worst single sample: 114 µg/L	305/305	SYR4	2012–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	44.9 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 69 µg/L	303/306	SYR4	2012–2019
Monochloroacetic Acid	3.16 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 3.4 µg/L	49/306	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromochloromethane	1.2 µg/L No EPA limit set	19/307	SYR4	2012–2019
Monobromoacetic Acid	9.815 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 15 µg/L	18/306	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	0.0063 mg/L 42% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	15/15	LCR	2025
Dibromoacetic Acid	24.5 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 27 µg/L	11/305	SYR4	2012–2019
Nitrate	1100 µg/L 11% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L	8/14	SYR4	2012–2019
Barium	16.4 µg/L 0.8% of the EPA limit 2000 µg/L worst single sample: 17 µg/L	3/3	SYR4	2013–2019
Gross Beta Particle Activity	3.02 pCi/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 3.1 pCi/L	3/3	SYR4	2014–2016
Copper	11.69 µg/L 0.9% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 12 µg/L	2/2	SYR4	2016
Fluoride	776 µg/L 19% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 780 µg/L	2/2	SYR4	2013–2019
Chromium	1.4 µg/L 1.4% of the EPA limit 100 µg/L	1/3	SYR4	2013–2019
Combined Radium (-226 And -228)	1.2 pCi/L 24% of the EPA limit 5 pCi/L	1/1	SYR4	2014

84 contaminants tested, none detected

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

Utility contact

Contact: HARVILL, AARON
Phone: 315-785-7845
Email: [email protected]

Frequently asked questions about Watertown City

Is Watertown City tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 20 contaminants in Watertown 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 Watertown City's water?

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

How many people does Watertown City serve?

Watertown City reports serving 27,861 people in New York, per its EPA record.

Has Watertown City had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 65 violations on file for Watertown City, of which 55 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.