Ithaca City
EPA ID: NY5404416 · 29,457 people served · 5 ZIP codes
For the full five-year period covered by EPA monitoring, Ithaca City has supplied tap water to 29,457 residents with no violations of any type on record.
Data: EPA SDWIS Last verified: 2026-04-02
Compliance Trajectory
Stable · Risk tier: High · 95% chance of violation in next 12 months
Violations went from 1 (2024) to 5 (2025). Violation counts have remained relatively steady.
Service Area Map
Coverage area for Ithaca City Source: EPA SDWIS service area boundaries.
Service area boundary
Service Area Demographics
The Ithaca City serves a community with a median household income of $68,667 and an estimated 73,977 residents across its service area. Approximately 61% of housing stock was built before 1986, which increases the likelihood of lead service lines and older plumbing.
🌊 Where Does Your Water Come From?
Ithaca 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.
About 1% of homes in Tompkins County, New York rely on private wells rather than public water systems. Private well owners are responsible for their own water testing and treatment.
Infrastructure Risk
PFAS Detected in Service Area
PFAS ("forever chemicals") have been detected in water serving this system's area. 1 detection recorded.
Comparable Water Systems
Similar-sized systems in New York
Estimated Remediation Costs
Average estimated costs across ZIP codes served by this system
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.
System Overview
Ithaca City (EPA ID: NY5404416) is a community water system in New York that serves approximately 29,457 people from surface water sources.
This system provides water to 5 ZIP codes across 2 communities.
Violation History
Lead & Copper
No Lead and Copper Rule sampling data available for this water system.
Need help with your water quality?
Typical cost: Water test: typically $20–$50 (DIY kit) · Professional inspection: $150–$400
Find the Right Water FilterFree tip: Let cold water run for 2 minutes before drinking — this helps flush lead from your pipes.
ZIP Codes Served
Coverage: 2 ZIP codes confirmed via EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3 plus 3 additional ZIPs inferred from SDWIS registry data. The EPA-confirmed set is the most reliable; SDWIS-inferred entries may be narrower than the real deployment area.
Data Sources
This report uses public data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). View the full compliance record for Ithaca City (NY5404416) on EPA.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ithaca City water safe to drink?
Based on EPA records, Ithaca City has no recorded violations in the past 5 years — a positive indicator of water quality management.
How many people does Ithaca City serve?
Ithaca City serves approximately 29,457 people across 5 ZIP codes in New York.
Where does Ithaca City get its water?
The primary water source is surface water.
Federal UCMR5 PFAS Monitoring: Tested Clean
This water system was tested under the federal EPA Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5). No PFAS compounds were detected.
Current MCL reflects the lowest state-enforceable limit (NYS 10 ppt for PFOA/PFOS, effective August 2020). The federal final MCL of 4 ppt for PFOA/PFOS (EPA April 2024 rule) is not enforceable until April 2029. Detections above 4 ppt but below 10 ppt are below current MCL but above the future federal limit.
Source: U.S. EPA UCMR5 (Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, 5th cycle) — per-system federal sampling, 2023–2025. EPA UCMR5 monitoring program →
Lead Service Line Inventory
Service line breakdown reported under the federal Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) inventory requirement:
Federal LCRI rule (effective October 2024) requires every public water system to inventory its service lines and complete lead-line replacement within 10 years.
Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Service Line Inventory (Phase 2) · Submitted 2026
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with the utility or state agency. Inventory figures render verbatim from the public LCRI submission cited above; ZipCheckup does not perform inspections or replacements.
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.