Current Health-Based Noncompliance NY 1 HEALTH-BASED VIOLATION ON RECORD

Rochester City

EPA ID: NY2704518 · 210,000 people served · 21 ZIP codes

ZipCheckup's reading of EPA records for Rochester City (NY2704518): 1 violation recorded with unresolved status in the SDWIS data used. In the federal compliance data used here, Rochester City has 1 violation listed as open; the utility serves approximately 210,000 people.

Data: EPA SDWIS

B · 80
Avg Safety Score
210,000
People Served
21
ZIP Codes Served
1
Violations (since 2021)
Surface Water
Water Source
0.0068 mg/L
Most recent lead 90th percentile on record (monitoring period ending 2025-12-31)
Zone 2
County Radon Potential · Moderate
1
Contaminants Flagged
$165K
Median Home Value in ZIP Codes Served

Service Area Map

Coverage area for Rochester City Source: EPA SDWIS service area boundaries.

Service area boundary - average Home Safety grade of mapped ZIPs: B

Demographics of ZIP Codes Served

$61,933
Median Household Income
388,671
Population of ZIP Codes Served (Census)
36%
Disadvantaged Population
40th
Poverty Percentile
50th
Energy Burden Percentile
86%
Pre-1986 Housing

The ZIP codes associated with Rochester City have a median household income of $61,933 and about 388,671 residents live in those ZIP codes (Census; not the number of people this system supplies). Approximately 86% of housing stock was built before 1986, which increases the likelihood of lead service lines and older plumbing.

Environmental Justice Note: On average, 36% of census tracts in the counties mapped to this service area are designated disadvantaged by the federal Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST, 2022 version). Communities with higher disadvantaged populations often face disproportionate environmental and health burdens, including aging water infrastructure and limited resources for remediation.

🌊 Where Does Your Water Come From?

Surface Water

Rochester City's water is drawn from rivers, lakes, or reservoirs. Surface water sources are more exposed to agricultural runoff, stormwater, and upstream discharges, but they typically receive more intensive treatment before reaching your tap.

Elevated Risk
Source Contamination Risk
30th
Wastewater Discharge Proximity
30th
Superfund Site Proximity

Infrastructure Risk

83 yr
Estimated pipe age (modeled from housing age)
Galvanized Steel or Copper
Likely pipe material (modeled)
2 yr
Est. Remaining Life
Accelerating decay (model estimate)
Decay Status
Installed 98% of expected lifespan used (estimate) End of life

Comparable Water Systems

Similar-sized systems in New York

Yonkers City
211,569 people
A 0 violations
B 3 violations
Syracuse City
192,000 people
C 12 violations
Veolia Water New York
270,000 people
B 0 violations
A 2 violations

Estimated Remediation Costs

Average estimated costs across ZIP codes served by this system

Water Filtration
Water Filtration $300
Total Estimated Cost $300

Based on national averages for common remediation projects. Actual costs vary by property. Only issues flagged by EPA, FEMA, or state data for each ZIP code are included.

Cost of Inaction

Illustrative per-household cost scenario based on stated assumptions:

Estimated Healthcare Costs $500

Annual per household (ZipCheckup estimate)

Estimated Cumulative Cost Per Household

5 years
$2,500
10 years
$5,000
20 years
$10,000

Compare: Estimated remediation cost is $300 (one-time) vs. $5,000 in estimated inaction costs over 10 years.

Individual costs vary by household size, property, and health factors. These estimates are for awareness, not financial advice.

System Overview

Rochester City (EPA ID: NY2704518) is a community water system in New York that serves approximately 210,000 people from surface water sources.

This system provides water to 21 ZIP codes across 1 community.

ZIP-Area Home Safety Context: B (80/100)

This is the average Home Safety Score for 12 of 21 service-area ZIP codes with all required score domains observed. It is not a grade for the water utility.

Model 4.0.0 uses SDWIS identity plus accepted ECHO SDWA lifecycle-based water compliance, the UCMR 5 PFAS MCL screen, EPA radon zone, and annual EPA AirData AQI across three equally weighted domains. Missing required evidence suppresses the score.

Violation History

1 current health-based noncompliance record in the accepted 2026Q2 snapshot.

Status breakdown for accepted records with record years 2021-2026: 0 resolved, 0 archived, 0 addressed, and 1 unaddressed. Under this source contract, current noncompliance is the sum of addressed and unaddressed records. Archived and resolved records are excluded from current noncompliance.

Recent Violations

Date Contaminant Type Status
January 1, 2025 Lead and Copper Rule Health-based Unaddressed (current)

Contaminants Detected

The following contaminants have been flagged in EPA records for this water system:

Contaminant Category Violations Health-Based
Lead and Copper Rule Treatment Technique 1 Yes

Lead & Copper

EPA Lead and Copper Rule evidence attributed directly to this water system:

Lead Level Exceeds Action Level Sample Date
0.0068 mg/L No 2025-12-31

No copper action-level exceedance record appears for this PWSID in the accepted LCR snapshot. This does not establish a clean copper measurement.

Radon Risk in Service Area

21 of 21 ZIP records with known zones are in EPA Radon Zone 2.

The EPA recommends testing all homes regardless of radon zone. County radon zones cannot replace an in-home radon test.

ZIP Codes Served

Coverage: Service area ZIP codes sourced from EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3 (March 2026 release). These ZIPs reflect the actual deployment footprint recorded by NY or modeled from parcel and building-footprint data.

Data Sources

This report uses public data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). View available EPA compliance records for Rochester City (NY2704518) on EPA.gov.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Rochester City water safe to drink?

The accepted 2026Q2 ECHO snapshot shows 1 current health-based noncompliance record for Rochester City. Review the utility's current notices and EPA record. This system-level compliance history cannot determine conditions at a specific tap.

How many people does Rochester City serve?

Rochester City serves approximately 210,000 people across 21 ZIP codes in New York.

Where does Rochester City get its water?

The primary water source is surface water.

Federal UCMR5 PFAS Monitoring: No PFAS Reported Above Reporting Levels

This water system was tested under the federal EPA Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5). No PFAS compounds were reported above UCMR5 minimum reporting levels.

Samples collected
232

EPA's April 2024 PFAS rule sets MCLs of 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS and 10 ppt for PFHxS, PFNA and HFPO-DA (GenX); water systems must comply from 2029. Other PFAS compounds have no individual federal MCL. A state standard is shown only where this system's state has its own enforceable PFAS limit. Detection results are EPA UCMR5 samples, not a measurement at your tap.

Source: U.S. EPA UCMR5 (Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, 5th cycle) — per-system federal sampling, 2023–2025. EPA UCMR5 monitoring program →

Understand PFAS health context and filtration →

How Water Systems Appear in Rankings

Water systems are evaluated by violation history, contaminant detections, and service population. Larger systems with more service connections appear in more rankings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is water from Rochester City safe to drink? ▼
Rochester City has 1 recorded violation since 2021. The B shown is a ZIP-area score, not a grade for this utility; see the violation table for what was violated.
Should I use a water filter? ▼
Given 1 recorded violation, review the violation types and dates; a filter certified for a specific contaminant of concern can reduce that contaminant at the tap. Monitoring or reporting violations are not something a filter addresses.
How many people does Rochester City serve? ▼
Rochester City serves approximately 210,000 people with drinking water across 21 ZIP codes.
What is Rochester City's water source? ▼
Rochester City draws water from surface water sources. Source type affects which contaminants are most likely to be present.
Is there lead in Rochester City's water? ▼
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result on record is 0.0068 mg/L (sample period ending 2025-12-31). This is at or below the EPA lead action level, which triggers system action and is not a safe level; the EPA health goal for lead is zero.
What is the demographic profile of the ZIP codes associated with Rochester City? ▼
The ZIP codes mapped to Rochester City have a median household income of $61,933 (Census ZIP-code estimate). In CEJST data, 36% of census tracts in the counties mapped to this area are designated disadvantaged (average across mapped ZIP codes), which may indicate greater vulnerability to environmental health risks.
Where does Rochester City get its water? ▼
Rochester City's water is drawn from rivers, lakes, or reservoirs. Surface water sources are more exposed to agricultural runoff, stormwater, and upstream discharges, but they typically receive more intensive treatment before reaching your tap. The available violation history and environmental indicators place this system in the elevated review category; they do not measure current source contamination.

How to cite this page

APA ZipCheckup. (n.d.). Rochester City (NY): 1 Health Violation. https://zipcheckup.com/water-system/ny2704518/
BibTeX
@misc{zipcheckup-water-system-ny2704518,
  author = {{ZipCheckup}},
  title  = {{Rochester City (NY): 1 Health Violation}},
  year   = {n.d.},
  url    = {https://zipcheckup.com/water-system/ny2704518/}
}

What You Can Do

1

Test your water

Home test kits can detect lead, bacteria, and other contaminants at your tap. Find the right filter →

2

Check your specific ZIP code

Water quality can vary within a system. View nearest ZIP report →

3

Contact your utility

Rochester City (EPA ID: NY2704518) - request the latest Consumer Confidence Report or ask about specific contaminants.

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