Rochester, New York
Rochester Water Quality
Rochester drinks protected Hemlock and Canadice lake water, with some Lake Ontario supply from MCWA. The 2025 report shows lead around 9 ppb (90th percentile) and more than 2,000 lead services replaced last year.
Hemlock + Canadice lakes · lead 90th ~9 ppb · 2,076 lead services replaced in 2025 · TTHM max LRAA 50 ppb.
The short answer
Rochester's tap water comes from the City of Rochester Water Bureau, primarily from Hemlock and Canadice Lakes, with some purchased Lake Ontario water from Monroe County Water Authority.
The 2025 report's 2024 lead survey shows a 90th percentile around 9 ppb against a 15 ppb action level. The City replaced 2,076 lead-containing services in 2025 and has removed more than 11,200 since 2018.
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Tell us your Rochester address. We confirm coverage first, then schedule a licensed technician to test at your tap — no charge, no obligation.
What the 2025 Rochester report shows
Figures below are system-level results from the City of Rochester's 2025 Water Quality Report. A later report supersedes them.
Lead 90th percentile about 9 ppb
In the 2024 lead-and-copper survey (reported in the 2025 document), the lead 90th percentile was 8.9 μg/L in the first half (103 samples; none above the action level) and 9.0 μg/L in the second half (107 samples; four above the action level, range up to 48.8 μg/L), against a 15 μg/L action level. Copper 90th percentiles were 290 and 279 μg/L against 1,300.
2,076 lead services replaced in 2025
The City reports replacing 2,076 lead-containing water services in 2025. Its Lead Service Line Replacement Program has removed more than 11,200 lead services since 2018, with a goal of removing all by 2030. Look up your service line at cityofrochester.gov/get-the-leadout.
Moderately hard water
Total hardness averaged 91 mg/L as CaCO₃ at the Hemlock plant and 123 mg/L for purchased Ontario water — roughly 5.3 to 7.2 grains per gallon. Scale complaints are more common on the Ontario blend than on pure Hemlock water.
Disinfection byproducts mid-pack
In the distribution system, total trihalomethanes peaked at a locational running annual average of 50 μg/L against an 80 μg/L MCL (individual results 16–79). Haloacetic acids peaked at an LRAA of 34 μg/L against 60.
UCMR 5 PFAS not detected at Hemlock
EPA's Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule sampling in 2023 at the Hemlock treatment plant listed the screened PFAS compounds and lithium as not detected. Purchased MCWA water is reported separately on MCWA's own CCR.
Corrosion-control paperwork violation
In April 2025 NYSDOH revoked a 1998 optimal corrosion control treatment designation and issued a Sanitary Code violation for lacking approved OCCT. The City states lead levels at taps have never exceeded the action level since 1991 and that a corrosion-control study is underway for completion in summer 2026. This is an administrative treatment designation issue, not a reported lead action-level exceedance.
How the water is produced
Protected Finger Lakes reservoirs plus a Lake Ontario purchase.
Hemlock and Canadice Lakes
Rochester has used Hemlock Lake as its primary source since 1876; Canadice Lake was added in 1919. Nearly 7,000 acres of watershed land are now Hemlock-Canadice State Forest, which limits development around the lakes.
Some Lake Ontario water via MCWA
The City also purchases water from Monroe County Water Authority, sourced from Lake Ontario. Depending on the season, some neighborhoods receive Hemlock water, Ontario water, or a blend.
City of Rochester Water Bureau
The Water Bureau serves about 210,000 people and more than 58,900 metered accounts inside the city, plus wholesale customers. Average Hemlock plant production in 2025 was 35.6 million gallons per day.
Where these figures come from
Everything on this page traces to the City of Rochester Water Bureau's 2025 Water Quality Report.
- City of Rochester — 2025 Water Quality Report
- City of Rochester — lead service line inventory
- Monroe County Water Authority — water quality reports — for purchased Lake Ontario supply.
Matching treatment to the finding
Lead plumbing and the Hemlock vs Ontario blend drive most Rochester decisions.
Lead reduction at the tap
Even with a ~9 ppb system 90th percentile, older home plumbing can still contribute lead. Flushing after long stagnation and a certified lead-reduction filter are the first steps; use the City's service-line lookup.
Softening depends on your blend
Hemlock water at ~91 mg/L hardness is only moderately hard; Ontario water at ~123 mg/L is a bit harder. A softener is a household preference, not a requirement from the report.
Carbon if DBPs are the concern
Point-of-use carbon can reduce disinfection byproducts when a homeowner wants to go below distribution averages.
Test before you buy
The report is system-wide, and some addresses see a Hemlock/Ontario blend. A kitchen-tap test tells you which findings apply at your faucet.
How the free test works
A licensed technician tests at your kitchen tap, walks the plumbing, and tells you which of the findings above applies to your house and which does not. There is no charge and no obligation.
Seamless Home is the licensed contractor of record on the work that follows. Installation is performed by vetted installing partners engaged as our subcontractors, and the workmanship obligation stays with us. Coverage is confirmed per service area rather than promised as blanket availability.
What a water treatment job with us covers
Installation and replacement of whole-home and point-of-use treatment, specified against what your water actually contains.
Sediment filtration
Installation of the first stage that protects everything downstream of it, sized to the service line and the household draw.
Softening
Installation of ion-exchange softening where hardness is the problem, including the drain connection the plumbing code treats as indirect waste.
Carbon filtration
Installation of carbon stages for taste, odour and disinfection by-products, specified from your utility's own water quality report.
Reverse osmosis
Point-of-use installation at the kitchen sink where the target is dissolved solids rather than whole-home flow.
Disinfection
Installation of UV or equivalent treatment where the supply is a private well or is otherwise not continuously disinfected.
System replacement
Replacing equipment that has reached the end of its service life, including the discharge and air gap details an inspector looks at.
This is installation and replacement work, specified from a published water quality report or a test of your supply — not from a sales chart. Coverage is confirmed per service area rather than promised as blanket availability.
What the work actually looks like
Treatment equipment is plumbing. Most of the job is the connection, the drain and the code detail behind it.
Rochester water, answered plainly
Where does Rochester get its water?+
Primarily from Hemlock and Canadice Lakes in the Hemlock-Canadice State Forest watershed, treated at the Hemlock Filtration Plant. The City also purchases Lake Ontario water from Monroe County Water Authority for parts of the distribution system.
Is Rochester tap water hard?+
Moderately. The 2025 report lists average total hardness of 91 mg/L at the Hemlock plant and 123 mg/L for purchased Ontario water.
Is there lead in Rochester water?+
The 2024 lead 90th percentile at customer taps was about 9 ppb against a 15 ppb action level. The City replaced 2,076 lead-containing services in 2025 and publishes a service-line inventory.
Did Rochester's 2025 water meet standards?+
The City states drinking water met or exceeded state and federal contaminant regulations for 2025. Separately, NYSDOH issued an administrative violation in 2025 over the optimal corrosion control treatment designation; the City reports it has never exceeded the lead action level since 1991.
Where do these figures come from?+
From the City of Rochester Water Bureau's 2025 Water Quality Report on cityofrochester.gov. Third-party aggregators are not used.
Related resources
Home water purification and treatment
The national service page behind this one.
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Catskill and Delaware reservoir water downstate.
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Lake Erie supply across the state line.
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Pennsylvania American Water Lake Scranton report.
Learn more →All home services
Water, battery, HVAC and solar under one licensed contractor of record.
Learn more →Get a free test at your tap
A licensed technician tests at your kitchen tap and tells you which Rochester Water Bureau findings apply to your house — lead from plumbing, hardness from your Hemlock or Ontario blend, or disinfection byproducts. No charge, no obligation, and coverage confirmed at your address first.
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