Yonkers
Yonkers, NY water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
yonkers city
surface water (rivers/reservoirs) · local government · PWSID NY5903465
Below EPA's 15 ppb lead action level at last testing.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) · 2026 Q1
Yonkers is a mid-sized city and the 10th-largest in New York, home to roughly 201,116 residents. Yonkers'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; Yonkers 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 Yonkers below.
Westchester County water quality
Source: EPA SDWIS · 2026 Q1
At a glance
- Population ~201,116 (10th-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 Yonkers?
Yonkers's largest water system, YONKERS CITY, serves about 211,569 people. EPA records show 0 health-based violation(s) since 2016 and a most-recent 90th-percentile lead level of 7.1 ppb (EPA action level is 15 ppb). Always check your own provider's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Where does Yonkers get its water?
YONKERS CITY draws primarily from surface water (rivers/reservoirs), 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