County water report

Albany County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Albany County, New York.

Water grade

Water score

37.4

State rank

#32

of 57

Health violations

117

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

1,908 recent measurements

Live streamflow

81%

HUDSON RIVER AT GREEN ISLAND NY

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Albany County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

Score: 37.4 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

117

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

81% of mean

HUDSON RIVER AT GREEN ISLAND NY

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

1,908 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

37.4/100

Health violations

117

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

38.9

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Data center water stress

Albany County has 3 facilities in the DCWSI dataset.

ByCounty's DCWSI ranks this county #984 nationally by combining its water score with mapped data center density.

DCWSI

46.9

0-100 index

Facility count

61.1 density percentile

Discharge estimate

Not reported

EPA CWA fields where available

Water vs median

-12.6

Compared with US county median

Named operators

Lumen Technologies

Mapped facilities

IBM Building
Albany
OSM
Lumen Albany 4
Albany · Lumen Technologies
OSM
Turnkey Internet
Latham
OSM

See the Albany County data-center report Review methodology

Data Center Water Budget Calculator

Estimate daily water use for a hypothetical facility in Albany County.

Facility size: 100 MW

1 MW1,000 MW

Cooling type

Utilization: 70%

40%100%

799K gallons/dayHigh Impact

Your facility would use 17.4% of this county's industrial water baseline. Verify water rights and long-term drought projections before committing.

17.4% of county industrial baseline3.79 Mgal/day remaining headroom

Based on USGS 2020 water-use data and EPA-standard cooling intensity constants. Not a substitute for site-specific water rights analysis.

Editorial analysis

Understanding Albany County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Albany County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 37.4 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 117 health-based violations — a pattern that public water utilities are required to disclose and correct.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T13:15:00.000-05:00) puts HUDSON RIVER at 11.8k cfs — running somewhat below its historical average at 81% of mean. Streamflow is a leading indicator of drought stress, sediment load, and dilution capacity: low flows concentrate pollutants and warm water temperatures, stressing aquatic life and, in surface-water-dependent systems, the source water quality for treatment plants.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Albany County has limited coverage with 8 active monitoring sites with 1,908 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and organics, pesticide. More monitoring sites generally indicate greater scientific attention to local water conditions — and provide the baseline data that regulators use to set future impairment listings.

Editorial advisory

What the data suggests for Albany County

Water Verdict

Albany County receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 37.4 out of 100. The water supply has documented quality issues. Residents are strongly encouraged to use filtered or bottled water for drinking and to stay informed about utility improvement plans.

Violation Context

Albany County has recorded 117 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 38.9 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Albany County has a Grade F compliance record with 117 health-based violations — among the highest levels in the country. Albany County's drinking-water compliance score is 37.4 out of 100. The violation rate for Albany County is 38.9 per 100,000 people served. Residents are strongly advised to use a certified NSF 58 reverse-osmosis filter or bottled water for all drinking and cooking until violations are corrected. Contacting the New York Department of Environmental Quality or Health can expedite utility compliance action. There are 8 active water-quality monitoring sites in Albany County. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the HUDSON RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Albany County has water quality close to the average county in New York. Its water score is within 2.7 points of the state average, meaning its overall water system performance is broadly representative of New York as a whole.

Advisory text summarizes county-level public records and is not a replacement for your utility's current Consumer Confidence Report or direct local notices.

Contaminants & Resources

Key issues flagged in Albany County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Albany County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Albany County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Albany County

Consumer Confidence Reports (NY)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in New York

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

1.9K

1,908 total readings

Most Measured

Physical
Organics, Pesticide
Organics, Other

Categories measured most frequently

Data from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), aggregating monitoring records from federal, state, and tribal sources. Each measurement represents a single sample analyzed for a specific characteristic (e.g., E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrogen).

Live USGS Streamgage

River & Stream Conditions

Current Discharge

11.8Kcfs

May 14, 6:15 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

81%

Below typical

Primary Streamgage

HUDSON RIVER AT GREEN ISLAND NY

USGS site: 01358000
Drainage area: 8,090 sq mi
Long-term mean: 14.7K cfs

One representative streamgage (the one with the largest drainage area in the county). Many counties have multiple gauges; this view summarizes the primary one. The long-term mean is the full-record annual average; the percent-of-typical value compares the latest reading against that average.

Free tool

Estimate Your Water Costs

Water Cost Estimate

Household size

3 people · ~225 gal/day

Filter type

Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Albany County:F — Failing

High violation count or severe watershed conditions.

Estimates use the national average residential water rate ($0.0068/gal, EPA/AWWA 2023) and EPA WaterSense per-person consumption baseline (75 gal/person/day). Actual bills vary by utility, usage tier, and local infrastructure fees. For informational purposes only.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Albany County, New York?

Albany County, New York has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 37.4/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 117 health-based drinking water violations over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.

Are there any water violations in Albany County?

Albany County has 117 health-based drinking water violations recorded by the EPA over the past 5 years. Health-based violations indicate instances where contaminant levels exceeded EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). Violations may have been resolved — check with your local water utility for current status.

How much water-quality monitoring happens in Albany County?

EPA's Water Quality Portal records 1,908 measurements from 8 monitoring sites in Albany County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Organics, Pesticide, Organics, Other. Each measurement is a single sample analyzed for one characteristic (E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, etc.). High monitoring density means more scientific evidence behind any reported signal — it does not by itself indicate water quality.

What's happening with rivers in Albany County right now?

Albany County's primary USGS streamgage on the HUDSON RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 11,800 cubic feet per second — 81% of the long-term mean of 14,651.93 cfs. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.

How does Albany County water compare to the New York average?

Albany County's SDWIS water quality score of 37.4/100 is lower than the New York state average of 40.1. The average water quality grade across New York is D, based on data from 57 counties with available SDWIS data.

Is tap water safe to drink in Albany County?

Based on EPA SDWIS data, Albany County has a water quality grade of F (37.4/100). This indicates below-average compliance with significant violations. Residents may want to consider home water filtration or independent testing. The grade speaks to the public water system, not the watershed — for watershed-level concerns, see the Watershed Health zone. For the most up-to-date information, contact your local water utility or review your Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).

Why does Albany County have so many water violations?

Albany County has 117 health-based drinking water violations on record from the EPA SDWIS database. A higher violation count can result from aging infrastructure, underfunded water utilities, agricultural runoff contamination, or industrial pollution. Counties with more water systems may also see more violations simply due to scale. Residents concerned about water quality should consider independent water testing and home filtration systems.

How does Albany County rank for water quality in New York?

Albany County ranks #32 out of 57 counties in New York by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 37.4/100, it falls in the middle third of counties statewide. The ranking reflects EPA SDWIS compliance only — not watershed impairment, monitoring density, or streamflow, which are tracked separately on this page.

Counties with Similar Water Quality

Cattaraugus County

New York

37.2

Water score

Wyoming County

New York

36.8

Water score

Madison County

New York

38.3

Water score

Data Sources

Drinking-water compliance data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) via the ECHO enforcement database. Scores reflect compliance history and health-based violation counts.

Water-quality monitoring counts from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), federated USGS, EPA, and state agency sampling records over a rolling 5-year window.

Live streamflow from the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS), continuous discharge measurements from the largest-drainage gauge in each county, compared against the full-record long-term annual mean.

Disclaimer: This data is informational only. It is not health, legal, or professional advice. For concerns about your specific water supply, contact your local water utility.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated May 14, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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