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Federal water data

County water report

Rensselaer County Water Report

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

Water grade

D

Water score

43.5

State rank

#23

of 57

Health violations

30

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

10

843 recent measurements

Live streamflow

No gauge

HUDSON RIVER AT STILLWATER NY

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Rensselaer County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

D

Score: 43.5 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

30

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

No gauge

HUDSON RIVER AT STILLWATER NY

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

10

843 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

D

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

43.5/100

Health violations

30

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

26.3

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Rensselaer County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Rensselaer County's drinking water received a D grade, scoring 43.5 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 30 health-based violations — a pattern that public water utilities are required to disclose and correct.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Rensselaer County has moderate coverage with 10 active monitoring sites with 843 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include pfas,perfluorinated alkyl substance 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 Rensselaer County

Water Verdict

Rensselaer County receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of D and a score of 43.5 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking.

Violation Context

Rensselaer County has recorded 30 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 26.3 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Rensselaer County's drinking-water compliance is below average with a Grade D, indicating repeated or unresolved violations in the recent record. Rensselaer County's drinking-water compliance score is 43.5 out of 100. The violation rate for Rensselaer County is 26.3 per 100,000 people served. Residents are encouraged to use an NSF 53 or NSF 58-certified filter for drinking and cooking water until the underlying violations are resolved. Running tap water for 30 seconds before use and avoiding older lead-pipe connections can also reduce exposure risk. The current Consumer Confidence Report from your utility will specify the contaminants of concern. There are 10 active water-quality monitoring sites in Rensselaer County. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the HUDSON RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Rensselaer County has water quality close to the average county in New York. Its water score is within 3.4 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 Rensselaer County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Rensselaer County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Rensselaer County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Rensselaer County

Consumer Confidence Reports (NY)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in New York

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

10

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

843

843 total readings

Most Measured

  • PFAS,Perfluorinated Alkyl Substance
  • Organics, Other
  • Organics, Pesticide

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).

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Water Bill

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Filter Cost

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Safety Grade for Rensselaer 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 Rensselaer County, New York?
Rensselaer County, New York has a drinking-water quality grade of D with a score of 43.5/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 30 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 Rensselaer County?
Rensselaer County has 30 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 Rensselaer County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 843 measurements from 10 monitoring sites in Rensselaer County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are PFAS,Perfluorinated Alkyl Substance, Organics, Other, Organics, Pesticide. 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.
How does Rensselaer County water compare to the New York average?
Rensselaer County's SDWIS water quality score of 43.5/100 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 Rensselaer County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Rensselaer County has a water quality grade of D (43.5/100). 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 Rensselaer County have so many water violations?
Rensselaer County has 30 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 Rensselaer County rank for water quality in New York?
Rensselaer County ranks #23 out of 57 counties in New York by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 43.5/100, 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

Allegany County

New York

D

43.1

Water score

Oswego County

New York

D

45.2

Water score

Otsego County

New York

F

41.2

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.

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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