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County water report

Broome County Water Report

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

Water grade

C

Water score

57.5

State rank

#11

of 57

Health violations

14

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

14

2,663 recent measurements

Live streamflow

110%

SUSQUEHANNA RIVER AT VESTAL NY

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Broome County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 57.5 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

14

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

110% of mean

SUSQUEHANNA RIVER AT VESTAL NY

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

14

2,663 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

C

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

57.5/100

Health violations

14

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

8.5

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Broome County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Broome County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 57.5 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 14 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 2026-05-14T14:00:00.000-05:00) puts SUSQUEHANNA RIVER at 7.1k cfs — near its historical average at 110% of mean flow. 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. Broome County has moderate coverage with 14 active monitoring sites with 2,663 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include organics, pesticide and organics, other. 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 Broome County

Water Verdict

Broome County, New York receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 57.5 out of 100. The water supply meets baseline federal standards, but there may be periods of elevated contaminant levels or infrastructure concerns worth monitoring. The county's primary USGS gauge drains roughly 3,941 square miles of upstream watershed, giving local source waters a regional footprint. At the most recent USGS reading, local streamflow was tracking near its historical mean (109.6%).

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Broome County, New York show 14 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 8.5 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues. For independent context, 2,663 water-quality monitoring results have been recorded across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Broome County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. Broome County's drinking-water compliance score is 57.5 out of 100. The violation rate for Broome County is 8.5 per 100,000 people served. Residents who are immunocompromised, pregnant, or have young children may benefit from using an NSF 53-certified filter. Contacting your local utility for the current Consumer Confidence Report will confirm which specific violations were recorded and whether they have been resolved. With 14 active water-quality monitoring sites in Broome County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the SUSQUEHANNA RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Broome County has better water quality than the average county in New York. Its water score is 17.4 points higher than the state average, indicating stronger water system performance relative to neighboring counties.

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 Broome County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Broome County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Broome County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Broome County

Consumer Confidence Reports (NY)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in New York

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

14

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

2.7K

2,663 total readings

Most Measured

  • Organics, Pesticide
  • Organics, Other
  • Physical

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

7,080cfs

May 14, 7:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

110%

Near typical

Primary Streamgage

SUSQUEHANNA RIVER AT VESTAL NY

USGS site
01513500
Drainage area
3,941 sq mi
Long-term mean
6,461 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

3

3 people  ·  ~225 gal/day

Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Broome County:D — Poor

Elevated violations or significant watershed impairment.

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 Broome County, New York?
Broome County, New York has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 57.5/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 14 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 Broome County?
Broome County has 14 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 Broome County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 2,663 measurements from 14 monitoring sites in Broome County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Organics, Pesticide, Organics, Other, Physical. 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 Broome County right now?
Broome County's primary USGS streamgage on the SUSQUEHANNA RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 7,080 cubic feet per second — 110% of the long-term mean of 6,461.14 cfs. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Broome County water compare to the New York average?
Broome County's SDWIS water quality score of 57.5/100 is higher 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 Broome County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Broome County has a water quality grade of C (57.5/100). This indicates moderate compliance. Some violations have been recorded but overall standards are maintained. 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 Broome County have so many water violations?
Broome County has 14 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 Broome County rank for water quality in New York?
Broome County ranks #11 out of 57 counties in New York by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 57.5/100, it falls in the top 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

Tompkins County

New York

C

57.8

Water score

Chautauqua County

New York

C

56.4

Water score

Onondaga County

New York

C

54.0

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 Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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