Only Tap Water DELIVERS!
Public Health Protection
The availability of safe drinking water is one of the greatest public health advances of the 20th century and one of the most important reasons people are living longer. In the United States, you can drink safely from virtually any public tap.
Fire Protection
A well-maintained water system is critical for fire protection. The ability to suppress fires influences new home construction, business location decisions, insurance rates and your personal safety. MCWA provides and maintains over 27,962 fire hydrants to help protect you and your property.
Support for the Economy
Our homes and businesses cannot do without a safe and reliable water supply. Unlike many places around the world and the United States, our area is fortunate to have ample water resources.
Abundant. Inexpensive. Pure.
The Monroe County Water Authority is the third largest water supplier in New York State, producing and delivering an average of 23.3 billion gallons of drinking water each year. As a public benefit corporation established in 1950 under the New York State Public Authorities Law, our sole purpose is to provide you with quality water and reliable service at an affordable price.
Many communities have been unable to or unwilling to make the investments necessary to maintain their water systems. That’s not the case with the Monroe County Water Authority. In 2025, we invested $27.99 million in infrastructure improvements. Our commitment to efficiency and cost controls is shown in our water rate history. Our rates are below the national average and the lowest 25% for northeast U.S. suppliers. It costs an average Water Authority residential customer about $32.08 a month for all the water they need.
The Monroe County Water Authority’s 211 employees are dedicated to providing you all the clean, safe drinking water you need, whenever you need it.
This annual water quality report is being provided to all of our customers in compliance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) regulations.
Source and Treatment
Our primary water source is Lake Ontario, one of North America’s five Great Lakes. Surface water is treated at our Shoremont Plant in the town of Greece and at our Webster Plant in town of Webster. We also operate the Corfu Plant, a small groundwater source supply in the village of Corfu and purchase water from the city of Rochester (Rochester) and the Erie County Water Authority (ECWA). All the water supply sources we use are located within the Great Lakes watershed area. The boundaries between the supply areas change daily as we manage the sources to optimize delivery of water to our customers.
The New York State Department of Health has evaluated the susceptibility of water supplies statewide to potential contamination under the Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP). In general, the Great Lakes sources used by MCWA and ECWA are not very susceptible because of their size and quality. Hemlock and Canadice Lakes, sources for Rochester’s Hemlock Plant, are not very susceptible because of their size and controlled watersheds. The groundwater aquifer source used by the Corfu Plant is more susceptible, but the confined nature of the aquifer provides protection against the few nearby potential contamination sources. Because storm and wastewater contamination are potential threats to any source water, the water provided to our customers undergoes rigorous treatment and testing prior to its delivery.
The Shoremont and Webster Plants as well as the purchase water suppliers all use a similar treatment process that includes pH adjustment, coagulation, filtration, and disinfection. Coagulants are added to clump together suspended particles found in source waters, enhancing their removal during filtration. Chlorine is used to disinfect the water and to provide the residual disinfectant that preserves the quality of the water as it travels from each plant to your home. Fluoride is added to help prevent tooth decay. The treatment process at the Corfu Plant consists of filtration, softening, and disinfection with chlorine. These water treatment plants operate in compliance with all the NYSDOH and USEPA regulatory requirements that apply.
For more information on the SWAP and how you can help protect the source of your drinking water contact MCWA Customer Service at (585) 442-7200.
Water Quality
Drinking water sources (both tap and bottled water) include lakes, reservoirs, rivers and streams, springs, and groundwater wells. As water travels over land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from animal or human activities. Contaminants that may be present in untreated water include inorganic and organic chemicals, pesticides and herbicides, and radioactive and microbiological contaminants. In order to ensure that your tap water is safe to drink, the NYSDOH and USEPA establish regulations that set limits on contaminant levels in water provided by public water systems. These limits are known as Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). The regulations also specify testing, reporting, and public notification for each contaminant. The MCWA’s monitoring program substantially exceeds NYSDOH and USEPA requirements. County and state departments of health also review our operating, monitoring, and testing data for regulatory compliance and independently monitor quality in our water distribution system. Click here to view MCWA’s most recent Annual Water Quality Report.
Some constituents we tested for were detected but at concentrations well below the allowable MCLs. A table of these detected contaminants and a complete water quality summary are provided by each of our sources of supply. It is important to remember all drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a risk to health. Additional information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the USEPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
Do I Need to Take Special Precautions?
Some people may be more vulnerable to disease-causing microorganisms or pathogens in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such as chemotherapy patients, organ transplant recipients, people with HIV / AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. USEPA / CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and other microbiological contaminants are available from the USEPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791, the Monroe County Department of Public Health, 111 Westfall Road, Rochester, New York 14620, (585) 753-5564, or your local county health department.
The Monroe County Water Authority is in violation of State lead and copper control requirements for failure to install optimal corrosion control treatment (OCCT) and is required to complete corrosion control treatment studies by October 25, 2026. Therefore, we must include the following statement in this report:
Exposure to lead in drinking water can cause serious health effects in all age groups. Infants and children can have decreases in IQ and attention span. Lead exposure can lead to new learning and behavioral problems or exacerbate existing learning and behavioral problems. The children of women who are exposed to lead before or during pregnancy can have increased risks of these adverse health effects. Adults can have increased risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, and kidney or nervous system problems.
Lead in Drinking Water
Lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women, infants, and young children. There is no detectable lead in the water we deliver to your home. Lead in drinking water is primarily from lead-bearing materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. The Monroe County Water Authority is responsible for providing high quality drinking water but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. Although our testing indicates this is not a problem for our customers, it is possible that lead levels at your home might be higher than at other homes in the community as a result of the materials used in your home’s plumbing. You share the responsibility for protecting yourself and your family from lead in your home plumbing. You can take responsibility by identifying and removing lead materials within your home plumbing and taking steps to reduce your family’s risk.
When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your faucet tap for 30-seconds to two-minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. You can also use a filter certified by an American National Standards Institute accredited certifier to reduce lead in drinking water. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available at www.mcwa.com/my-water/water-quality/lead/ or from the USEPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline 1-800-426-4791 and website www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.
Information on Lead Service Line Inventory
A Lead Service Line (LSL) is defined as any portion of pipe that is made of lead which connects the water main to the building inlet. An LSL may be owned by the water system, owned by the property owner, or both. In accordance with the federal Lead & Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR), the MCWA has prepared an LSL inventory and made it publicly accessible by visiting our website at: www.mcwa.com/my-water/water-quality/lead/ . Click on the MCWA Service Line Material Inventory map to access the inventory to review your location. The inventory includes both potable and non-potable service lines within our system.
Information on Fluoride Addition
The MCWA is one of many New York State public water utilities providing water with a controlled, low-level concentration of fluoride for consumer dental health protection. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fluoride is very effective in preventing cavities when present at an optimum level of 0.7 mg/L. To ensure optimal dental protection, the NYSDOH requires that we monitor fluoride levels on a daily basis. In 2025, the fluoride levels in your water were within 0.2 mg/L of the CDC’s recommended optimal level 99.5% of the time with an average concentration of 0.69 mg/L for water produced by the Shoremont and Webster Plants. The highest monitoring level was 1.12 mg/L, below the 2.2 mg/L MCL for fluoride in water. More information on fluoridation can be found here.
System Improvements
In our continuing efforts to maintain a safe and dependable water supply it is necessary to make improvements in your water system. The costs of these improvements may be reflected in the rates we charge. Rate adjustments may be necessary in order to address these improvements.
Taste and Odor
Sometimes you may find your water tastes or smells like chlorine. The water is safe to drink. We are required to maintain a chlorine residual in the water supply distribution system to maintain water quality. To eliminate or reduce the taste of chlorine in your water, simply store tap water in a container overnight in your refrigerator. An inexpensive carbon media filter can also be used for this purpose.
Conservation
Lake Ontario and the Great Lakes System provides an abundance of water to the communities we serve, and our customers greatly benefit by having this natural resource close to home. However, it takes power to treat and deliver water to your house. Therefore, conserving energy is helpful to providing clean, safe water to you.
Although our water rates are below the national average, no one wants to pay for water that is wasted whether by accident or on purpose. To save water, fix leaky faucets and toilets promptly, replace washer gaskets when garden hoses start to drip, and water your lawn in the early morning. After 10 a.m. the sun’s heat draws water from the lawn through evaporation. When you irrigate early, you can water less because more of the water is absorbed into the lawn and soil.
Previous Year’s Water Quality Information
For historical information on previous years’ water quality information, click here.
For More Information
If you have questions about water quality, your bill, or Monroe County Water Authority operations, please call Customer Service at (585) 442-7200.
