County water report

Westchester County Water Report

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

Water grade

Water score

32.4

State rank

#38

of 57

Health violations

533

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

114

23,715 recent measurements

Live streamflow

83%

CROTON R AT NEW CROTON DAM NR CROTON-ON-HUDSON NY

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Westchester County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

Score: 32.4 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

533

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

83% of mean

CROTON R AT NEW CROTON DAM NR CROTON-ON-HUDSON NY

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

114

23,715 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.

32.4/100

Health violations

533

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

55.7

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Data center water stress

Westchester County has 1 facility in the DCWSI dataset.

ByCounty's DCWSI ranks this county #2083 nationally by combining its water score with mapped data center density.

DCWSI

19.4

0-100 index

Facility count

0.0 density percentile

Discharge estimate

Not reported

EPA CWA fields where available

Water vs median

-17.6

Compared with US county median

Mapped facilities

OpenStreetMap data center 802054282
Facility details limited
OSM

See the Westchester County data-center report Review methodology

Data Center Water Budget Calculator

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

Facility size: 100 MW

1 MW1,000 MW

Cooling type

Utilization: 70%

40%100%

799K gallons/dayModerate Impact

Your facility would use 10.0% of this county's industrial water baseline — manageable but worth monitoring against drought trends.

10.0% of county industrial baseline7.17 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 Westchester County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Westchester County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 32.4 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 533 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 2026-05-14T13:45:00.000-05:00) puts CROTON R at 316.0 cfs — running somewhat below its historical average at 83% 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. Westchester County has extensive coverage with 114 active monitoring sites with 23,715 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and microbiological. 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 Westchester County

Water Verdict

Westchester County receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 32.4 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

Westchester County has recorded 533 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 55.7 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Westchester County has a Grade F compliance record with 533 health-based violations — among the highest levels in the country. Westchester County's drinking-water compliance score is 32.4 out of 100. The violation rate for Westchester County is 55.7 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. With 114 active water-quality monitoring sites in Westchester County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the CROTON R gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Westchester County has poorer water quality than the average county in New York. Its water score is 7.7 points lower than the state average, suggesting more challenges with contamination control or infrastructure than 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 Westchester County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Westchester County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Westchester County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Westchester County

Consumer Confidence Reports (NY)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in New York

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

114

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

24K

23,715 total readings

Most Measured

Physical
Microbiological
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).

Live USGS Streamgage

River & Stream Conditions

Current Discharge

316cfs

May 14, 6:45 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

83%

Below typical

Primary Streamgage

CROTON R AT NEW CROTON DAM NR CROTON-ON-HUDSON NY

USGS site: 01375000
Drainage area: 378 sq mi
Long-term mean: 383 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 Westchester 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.

Try the full calculator →

Improve your water quality at home

Berkey filters remove 99.9%+ of contaminants from tap water.

Shop Berkey →

Test your tap water

Tap Score provides professional mail-in water testing.

Get Tested →

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Westchester County, New York has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 32.4/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 533 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 Westchester County?

Westchester County has 533 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 Westchester County?

EPA's Water Quality Portal records 23,715 measurements from 114 monitoring sites in Westchester County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Microbiological, 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.

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

Westchester County's primary USGS streamgage on the CROTON R has a pipeline snapshot of 316 cubic feet per second — 83% of the long-term mean of 382.73 cfs. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.

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

Westchester County's SDWIS water quality score of 32.4/100 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 Westchester County?

Based on EPA SDWIS data, Westchester County has a water quality grade of F (32.4/100). 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 Westchester County have so many water violations?

Westchester County has 533 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 Westchester County rank for water quality in New York?

Westchester County ranks #38 out of 57 counties in New York by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 32.4/100, 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

Saratoga County

New York

33.2

Water score

Delaware County

New York

30.9

Water score

Yates County

New York

34.1

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

Explore more data for Westchester County

Property Tax Cost of Living Crime Rate Income Health Schools Disaster Risk Weather County Score