New Haven
New Haven, CT water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
regional water authority
surface water (rivers/reservoirs) · local government · PWSID CT0930011
Below EPA's 15 ppb lead action level at last testing.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) · 2026 Q1
New Haven is a mid-sized city and the 2nd-largest in Connecticut, home to roughly 130,322 residents. New Haven's drinking water comes largely from the same regional sources that serve Connecticut: Connecticut River, reservoirs, and groundwater.
As elsewhere in Connecticut, the central challenge is aging infrastructure. Generally water-rich, with periodic regional shortfalls and PFAS detections driving treatment upgrades.
Connecticut reuses an estimated 4% of its treated wastewater and maintains minimal reuse programs; New Haven tracks abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions on the U.S. Drought Monitor scale.
Explore the Connecticut profile for statewide context, or dig into the water issues shaping New Haven below.
New Haven County water quality
Source: EPA SDWIS · 2026 Q1
At a glance
- Population ~130,322 (2nd-largest in Connecticut)
- Primary sources: Connecticut River, reservoirs, and groundwater
- Drought: abnormally dry to moderate conditions
- State reuse rate: ~4% of wastewater
Statewide drought history
% of Connecticut in severe+ drought (Moderate (D1) now).
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor
Common questions
Is tap water safe in New Haven?
New Haven's largest water system, REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITY, serves about 418,900 people. EPA records show 0 health-based violation(s) since 2016 and a most-recent 90th-percentile lead level of 0 ppb (EPA action level is 15 ppb). Always check your own provider's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Where does New Haven get its water?
REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITY draws primarily from surface water (rivers/reservoirs), part of Connecticut's supply from Connecticut River, reservoirs, groundwater.
Related water issues
Aging Infrastructure
Much of America's water infrastructure is decades past its design life, leaking trillions of gallons a year and demanding hundreds of billions in reinvestment.
ExplorePFAS Contamination
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances persist in water supplies for decades. New federal limits are forcing utilities nationwide to invest in advanced treatment.
Explore