Public water system · NY5404416

Active

Ithaca City

At a glance

Ithaca City (PWSID NY5404416) is an active community water system in Tompkins County, New York. It reports serving 29,457 people through 5,518 service connections. Its primary water source is surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 9 violations for this system; 6 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2024.

Dataset updated October 2026 . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.

Population served

29,457

Service connections

5,518

Primary source

Surface water

System type

CWS

Community water system

System record

PWSIDNY5404416

System typeCommunity water system

Activity statusActive

Population served29,457

Service connections5,518

Primary water sourceSurface water

Owner typeLocal government

Primacy agencyNY state drinking water program

City servedIthaca (C)

StateNew York

ZIP—

CountyTompkins County

How does Ithaca City compare with other water systems in Tompkins County?

By EPA's size categories, Ithaca City is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Tompkins County has 111 active public water systems, and Ithaca City is the 2nd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 32 times the county average of 927 people per system, and accounts for 29% of the 102,856 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across New York, the 8,167 active systems average 2,374 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Ithaca City is about 4.4 times that figure.

What does “community water system” mean?

A community water system serves at least 15 connections used by year-round residents, or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. Homes, apartments and mobile-home parks are served by these. New York has 2,281 active community water systems, 28% of the state's 8,167 active systems. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs. 296 New York systems (3.6%) list surface water as their primary source.

Who owns and regulates Ithaca City?

EPA lists Ithaca City as owned by a local government. The NY state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 13 of the 111 active systems in Tompkins County (12%) are also owned by a local government.

Does Ithaca City have drinking water violations?

EPA's records list 9 violations for this system; 6 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2024. The violations listed here began between April 1993 and October 2024. By type: 3 contaminant level above the legal limit, 2 monitoring and reporting, 2 required treatment not met, 1 reporting and 1 disinfectant level above the legal limit. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Haloacetic acids (HAA5) (3 of them). EPA lists 8 as resolved and 1 as archived. Resolved means at least one resolving action is on record: the system returned to compliance, the rule no longer applies, or no further action was needed. Archived means the violation was not marked resolved but is more than five years past the end of the noncompliance period, so it no longer counts toward current compliance status.

Began	Violation	Contaminant or rule	Health-based	Status
2024-10-17	ReportingLSL Reporting · code 4G	Lead and Copper Rule Revisionscode 5200	No	Resolved
2020-02-01	Disinfectant level above the legal limitAcute Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level · code 13	Chlorine dioxidecode 1008	Yes	Resolved
2017-07-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27	Carbon, totalcode 2920	No	Resolved
2016-07-01	Required treatment not metMonthly Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) · code 44	Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300	Yes	Resolved
2003-04-01	Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02	Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456	Yes	Resolved
2003-01-01	Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02	Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456	Yes	Resolved
2002-10-01	Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02	Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456	Yes	Resolved
2002-01-01	Required treatment not metSingle Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) · code 43	Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0300	Yes	Resolved
1993-04-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Nitratecode 1040	No	Archived

All 9 violations in EPA's records, newest first.Labels and codes come from EPA's SDWIS reference tables. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found. "Health-based" marks violations of a legal limit or required treatment.

Ithaca City: frequently asked questions

Who runs Ithaca City?

Ithaca City (PWSID NY5404416) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the NY state drinking water program.

How many people does Ithaca City serve?

Ithaca City reports serving 29,457 people through 5,518 service connections in Tompkins County, New York.

Where does Ithaca City get its water?

EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as surface water. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs.

Does Ithaca City have any drinking water violations?

EPA's records list 9 violations for this system; 6 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2024. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found.

Is Ithaca City's water safe to drink?

AquaCensus shows EPA compliance records, not current water test results, so it cannot say whether the water is safe at a given moment. EPA's records list 9 violations for this system; 6 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2024. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the NY state drinking water program.

Where can I find Ithaca City's water quality report?

As a community water system, Ithaca City must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1 each year, covering the previous calendar year. The system can provide a copy on request.

Other water systems in Tompkins County

Water system	County	Population served	Type	Source
Cornell University	Tompkins	31,581	Community	Surface water
Ithaca Town Wd	Tompkins	13,000	Community	Purchased surface water
Cayuga Heights Village	Tompkins	3,170	Community	Purchased surface water
Lansing (V)	Tompkins	3,100	Community	Purchased surface water
Lansing (T) Consolidated Wd	Tompkins	3,000	Community	Purchased surface water
Groton Village	Tompkins	2,470	Community	Groundwater under influence of surface water

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About this data

Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and SDWA violation records, via EPA ECHO, as published October 1, 2026 — AquaCensus refreshes it quarterly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.

Cite as: AquaCensus, “Ithaca City, PWSID NY5404416, New York”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/new-york/ithaca-city-ny5404416 (data as of October 1, 2026).