Is Rochester City Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

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

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	Unaddressed	2025-01-01
TT	Health-based	Unaddressed	2025-01-01
TT	Health-based	Unaddressed	2025-01-01
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2006-09-01 → 2006-09-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2006-09-01 → 2006-09-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2006-09-01 → 2006-09-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2006-09-01 → 2006-09-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2006-09-01 → 2006-09-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2006-09-01 → 2006-09-30
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2002-06-01 → 2002-06-30

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
TTHM	68 µg/L 85% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L worst single sample: 104 µg/L	237/237	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	42 µg/L 70% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 49 µg/L	237/237	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromodichloromethane	14 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 16 µg/L	172/172	SYR4	2014–2019
Chloroform	53 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 67 µg/L	172/172	SYR4	2014–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	21 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 24 µg/L	172/172	SYR4	2014–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	20 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 26 µg/L	172/172	SYR4	2014–2019
Dibromochloromethane	4.35 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 47 µg/L	171/172	SYR4	2014–2019
Monochloroacetic Acid	6.24 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 6.9 µg/L	27/172	SYR4	2014–2019
Lead	0.0068 mg/L 45% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	17/17	LCR	2025
Barium	17.7 µg/L 0.9% of the EPA limit 2000 µg/L worst single sample: 18 µg/L	7/7	SYR4	2012–2018
Bromoform	0.6700 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 0.7000 µg/L	7/172	SYR4	2014–2019
Nitrate	110 µg/L 1.1% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L	6/14	SYR4	2012–2018
Fluoride	814 µg/L 20% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 820 µg/L	5/6	SYR4	2013–2018
Nitrate-Nitrite	109 µg/L 1.1% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 110 µg/L	3/7	SYR4	2012–2018
Dibromoacetic Acid	5.8 µg/L No EPA limit set	1/172	SYR4	2014–2019
Thallium, Total	0.3000 µg/L 15% of the EPA limit 2 µg/L	1/7	SYR4	2012–2018

86 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, TotalChlorobenzeneCyanideCadmiumCarbofuranCarbon TetrachlorideChlordaneChromiumDichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDinosebEthylene DibromideEndrinEthylbenzeneHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoMercuryMethoxychlorMonobromoacetic AcidNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitriteOxamylPfbaPFBSPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpaPfhpsPfhxaPFHXSPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPFOAPFOSPfpeaPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSeleniumSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneTolueneTotal Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)ToxapheneTrichloroethyleneVinyl Chloridecis-1,2-DichloroethyleneLithiumO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: CONSIDINE, NICK
Phone: 585-428-6097
Email: [email protected]

Frequently asked questions about Rochester City

Is Rochester City tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 16 contaminants in Rochester 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 Rochester City's water?

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

How many people does Rochester City serve?

Rochester City reports serving 210,000 people in New York, per its EPA record.

Has Rochester City had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 13 violations on file for Rochester City, of which 9 are health-based (a contaminant limit or required treatment was breached) and 3 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.