Public water monitoring in Carthage shows a safety record well above the NY median - health-based violations are isolated exceptions rather than recurring patterns, the city's systems have stayed compliant across recent reporting cycles, and no cluster of recurring exceedances appears in any single service area.

Data: EPA SDWIS

Overview

We track home safety data for 1 ZIP code in Carthage, New York, covering 4 community water systems serving approximately 10,774 people. The EPA snapshots used for this build directly map water systems to 1 of 1 ZIP codes.

1 of 1 ZIP code with a reported violation count in the available EPA record (100%) have recorded EPA violations. 3 health-based violations appear in the available health breakdown.

Home Safety Score

Average Home Safety Score for Carthage: B (83/100)

Model 4.0.0 uses four measured components across three equally weighted domains. If a required domain is unavailable, no score is published:

Factor	What It Measures
Water Quality	EPA violations and compliance history
PFAS MCL Screen	UCMR 5 testing against the covered federal MCLs
Radon Risk	EPA radon zone classification
Annual AQI	EPA AirData county-year median with at least 90 observed days

Water Sources

Carthage water systems draw from: Groundwater, Surface water.

Lead & Copper

• Average lead level (90th percentile): 0.0060 mg/L (EPA action level: 0.015 mg/L)
• 0 of 1 ZIP code with known status exceed the EPA lead action level

Radon Risk

Dominant radon zone: Zone 2 (Moderate Risk)

The EPA recommends testing homes in Zone 1 and Zone 2 areas for radon.

Top Contaminants

Areas with Most Violations

All ZIP Codes in Carthage

• 13619 [B] - 23 violations ⚠

Data Sources

• Water quality: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS)
• Lead/copper: EPA Lead and Copper Rule sampling data
• Radon: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Reporting periods vary by source. Missing data is shown as unavailable, not as zero.

Housing Age Profile

Two dates define the high-risk tiers of residential plumbing from a lead standpoint: 1970, before which lead pipes were commonly installed for service connections, and 1986, before which lead solder was standard in copper plumbing. A median build year of 1963 places Carthage's housing distribution well within that older risk zone. The bar chart above breaks down how much of the stock falls into each era - and the pre-1986 share alone represents more than half the residential inventory, making plumbing-era risk a defining characteristic of the local water safety picture.

1963

Median Year Built

73%

Pre-1986 (Lead Paint Risk)

46%

Pre-1970 (Lead Pipes Risk)

Pre-1970 (46%) 1970–1986 (27%) Post-1986 (27%)

Over half of homes in Carthage were built before 1986, when lead solder was banned. Older plumbing may leach lead into drinking water, especially with corrosive water chemistry.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS B25034.

Cost Context: What Remediation Means for Carthage Homeowners

At current valuations, Carthage falls in the moderate remediation-share tier - a level where treating this as a budgeted line item rather than an ad-hoc expense is the practical approach.

Median Home Value

$171,700

Est. Remediation

$2,200

Remediation as % of home value 1.3%

Remediation costs are moderate relative to home values in Carthage. The estimated $1,100–$4,100 range is manageable for most homeowners but still worth budgeting for. Home values are 53% below the New York average.

Lead Exposure Risk for Children in Carthage

73%

Homes Built Before 1986

0.006

mg/L Avg Lead (Limit: 0.015)

Why children are most at risk: The CDC states there is no safe level of lead exposure for children. Children under 6 absorb lead more readily than adults, and even low levels can cause developmental delays, learning difficulties, and behavioral problems.

Wherever 73% of local housing was built before solder rules changed - as is the case in Carthage - a faucet-level sample closes the gap that aggregate utility data cannot.

Sources: EPA Lead and Copper Rule, U.S. Census Bureau ACS, CDC childhood lead poisoning prevention guidelines.

Historical NFIP Claim Context in Carthage

55

Total FEMA Flood Claims

$8,146

Avg Reported Sum With Payment Data

100%

A/V Share of Claim-Record ZIPs

Historical NFIP data for Carthage contains 55 flood insurance claims. Among claims with payment data, the average reported building, contents, and ICC component sum is $8,146. Among ZIP codes with claim records, 100% have an A- or V-family dominant rated zone recorded in those historical claims. This is not a complete current FEMA property-map inventory.

How flooding affects water quality: Flood events can introduce sewage, agricultural runoff, and industrial chemicals into water supplies. Even after floodwaters recede, contamination can persist in wells and aging infrastructure. The <strong>$2,200</strong> remediation estimate shown here excludes flood insurance and is not derived from NFIP claim count.

Claim count does not establish current property risk. Check the exact address in FEMA's current map and obtain a property-specific insurance quote when relevant.

Source: historical FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claim records. No current FEMA property-map designation is asserted.