Brooklyn
Brooklyn, NY water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
smith mobile home village water system
groundwater (wells) · private · PWSID LA1019085
Below EPA's 15 ppb lead action level at last testing.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) · 2026 Q1
Brooklyn is one of the largest cities in the United States and the 2nd-largest in New York, home to roughly 2,300,664 residents. Brooklyn's drinking water comes largely from the same regional sources that serve New York: Catskill/Delaware watersheds, Great Lakes, and aquifers.
As elsewhere in New York, the central challenge is aging infrastructure. NYC's protected upstate watershed delivers unfiltered water, but upstate systems face PFAS (notably Hoosick Falls) and aging mains.
New York reuses an estimated 3% of its treated wastewater and maintains minimal reuse programs; Brooklyn tracks abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions on the U.S. Drought Monitor scale.
Explore the New York profile for statewide context, or dig into the water issues shaping Brooklyn below.
Calcasieu Parish County water quality
Source: EPA SDWIS · 2026 Q1
At a glance
- Population ~2,300,664 (2nd-largest in New York)
- Primary sources: Catskill/Delaware watersheds, Great Lakes, and aquifers
- Drought: abnormally dry to moderate conditions
- State reuse rate: ~3% of wastewater
Statewide drought history
% of New York in severe+ drought (Moderate (D1) now).
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor
Common questions
Is tap water safe in Brooklyn?
Brooklyn's largest water system, SMITH MOBILE HOME VILLAGE WATER SYSTEM, serves about 444 people. EPA records show 1 health-based violation(s) since 2016 and a most-recent 90th-percentile lead level of 0.2 ppb (EPA action level is 15 ppb). Always check your own provider's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Where does Brooklyn get its water?
SMITH MOBILE HOME VILLAGE WATER SYSTEM draws primarily from groundwater (wells), part of New York's supply from Catskill/Delaware watersheds, Great Lakes, aquifers.
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