NYC Has The Empire State's Cleanest Water, Report Finds

NEW YORK — The streets and the subways may be grimy, but New York City has cleaner water than anywhere else in Empire State, a new report says.

Five so-called emerging contaminants were detected in the Big Apple's water system, the fewest among the state's eight regions, according to a review of federal data by the New York Public Interest Research Group, or NYPIRG.

None of the chemicals found in the city's water were detected at levels higher than U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recommendations where applicable, the analysis found. The pristine quality of the city's water is a result of unique protections around its upstate aquifers, which should serve as a model for the rest of the state, the report says.

"If Hoosick Falls, Newburgh, or any other of the communities now contending with water
contamination crises had a program like New York City’s, they would likely not be in their present
situations," reads NYPIRG's report, released Tuesday.

The group found that 176 water systems across the state serving nearly 16 million people contained at least one of 23 emerging contaminants that pose potential health risks.

The five substances found in the city's water were chromium, chromium-6, chlorate, strontium and 1,4-dioxane, an industrial solvent that's been frequently spotted in water supplies across the country, according to the report.

While exposure to 1,4-dioxane can cause liver cancer and other health problems, it was found in the city's water only once, at a level far lower than even the most stringent health guidance, NYPIRG's report says.

By contrast, 1,4-dioxane was found in 34 water systems on Long Island, the city's suburban neighbor, the review found. The dangerous chemical was among 19 distinct contaminants detected in Nassau and Suffolk counties, the most of any region in the state, the report says.

New York City's water is so clean in part because the city owns the land that surrounds its upstate reservoirs, according to the report. The deal that gives the city control over the water supply allows for the purchase of land from willing sellers and for partnerships to prevent pollution and pay for septic tank repairs — all safeguards that should be adopted across the state, NYPIRG says.

The state should also adopt tougher drinking water standards and conduct statewide tests for chemicals such as 1,4-dioxane, said Liz Moran, NYPIRG's environmental policy director.

"Even with limited testing, millions of New Yorkers are drinking water that contains emerging contaminants that have the potential to put their health at risk," Moran said in a news release.