Water Service Outages in New York by City
87% of New York's 2,250 community water systems serve 3,300 people or fewer, so many outages and boil water notices affect a single small town or subdivision.
New York drinking water record
Busiest year: 2022 (296 violations). Counted by the year the violation period began. Source: EPA SDWIS.
- Community water systems: 2,250 active systems serve about 18,342,635 people. 1,951 of them (87%) serve 3,300 people or fewer; 1,575 draw mainly on groundwater and 571 on surface water.
- Health-based violations since 2015: 2,531, at 518 systems (23% of all systems). That share is 13th of 50 states (1 = lowest).
- Most common problems: contaminant averages over the limit (1,733); contaminant readings over the limit (356); surface water treatment (109). Source: EPA SDWIS
- Largest system: New York City System, about 8,271,000 people, with 1 health-based violation since 2015. Source: EPA SDWIS
- Housing age: the median New York home was built in 1959 (US 1980). Older housing stock means more lead service lines left to replace. Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 (table B25035)
- Storm damage to water service: NOAA storm narratives mention water mains, boil water notices or lost water service in 2 episodes in New York since 2015. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
- June 28, 2016, Ulster (lightning): “A 29 year old man repairing a water main break was struck by lightning during a thunderstorm.” Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
- June 30, 2015, Onondaga (flash flood): “Heavy rainfall caused the manhole cover to be blown off by excessive water pressure in the storm sewer system.” Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
| System | People served | Main source | Health violations since 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York City System | 8,271,000 | Surface water | 1 |
| Suffolk County Water Authority | 1,100,000 | Groundwater | 2 |
| Mcwa | 525,262 | Surface water | 1 |
| Ocwa | 350,000 | Surface water | 0 |
| Ecwa Direct | 313,380 | Surface water | 0 |
| Buffalo Water Authority | 276,000 | Surface water | 0 |
Source: EPA SDWIS.
New York is 1st of 6 (1 = lowest share). Source: EPA SDWIS.
Checked September 2026.
Who to call in New York, city by city
10 New York cities on this site and the water utility for each. What to do while you wait is in our water service outage guide.
- New York City NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
- Buffalo Buffalo Water
- Yonkers Yonkers Water Bureau
- Rochester City of Rochester Water Bureau
- Syracuse City of Syracuse Department of Water
- Albany Albany Water Department
- New Rochelle Veolia Water New York
- Mount Vernon Mount Vernon Board of Water Supply
- Schenectady City of Schenectady Water Department
- Utica Mohawk Valley Water Authority
Frequently asked questions
Is there a water service outage in New York right now?
Possibly: 3 reports from New York on this site in the last 24 hours. Open your city to see where.
How many public water systems are in New York?
EPA records list 2,250 active community water systems in New York, serving about 18,342,635 people. 87% serve 3,300 people or fewer.
How common are drinking water violations in New York?
Since 2015, 518 of 2,250 community water systems in New York (23%) have had at least one health-based violation, 2,531 in total.
What is the largest water system in New York?
New York City System, which EPA records list as serving about 8,271,000 people.
Report counts are user-submitted; other figures name their official source. How our data works
Cities in New York with Water Service Outages Information
Albany
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 99,124
Albany Water Department
Mount Vernon
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 72,726
Mount Vernon Board of Water Supply
New Rochelle
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 79,926
Veolia Water New York
New York City
3 reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 8,336,817
NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
Rochester
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 211,328
City of Rochester Water Bureau
Schenectady
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 67,855
City of Schenectady Water Department
Syracuse
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 148,620
City of Syracuse Department of Water
Utica
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 60,100
Mohawk Valley Water Authority
Yonkers
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 211,569
Yonkers Water Bureau