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Review government records associated with Watertown, New York.
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Preparing Watertown environmental records...
Check your water bill for your utility name and confirm the reporting year. See EPA’s guide to finding your annual water quality report.
Public water-system records for Watertown, NY from EPA SDWIS.
Watertown City
PFAS above an official threshold detected in available EPA records.
Reviewed: active/open records as of Q1 2026
City listed in EPA records · Serves 27,861 people
Data from EPA SDWIS
PFAS screening separates EPA UCMR5 drinking-water monitoring from nearby DoD PFAS investigation-site records; EPA samples shown are from May 2025.
Drinking Water PFAS Monitoring
EPA UCMR5 samples public water systems. These results are separate from nearby PFAS cleanup or investigation-site records.
1 PFAS sample result above EPA limits
Sample period: May 2025
UCMR5 results are sampled by public water system, not every household. Confirm your water provider before treating these as tap-water results for a specific address.
| Chemical | Concentration (µg/L) | EPA Limit (µg/L) | Sample date | Over Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PFOA | 0.0073 | 0.0040 | 2025-05-06 | Yes |
PFAS detections below EPA limits.
Nearby PFAS Investigation Sites
DoD records are nearby site investigations, not Watertown drinking-water detections. Record names come from the source database and can be broad.
No DoD PFAS investigation records shown for this report.
EPA ATTAINS records identify assessed water bodies that do not meet water-quality standards for designated uses.
Kelsey Creek-Black River
Reported: Nov 2026
Health-relevant causes: Metals (other Than Mercury), Polychlorinated Biphenyls (pcbs)
Affected uses: Ecological
Data from EPA ATTAINS
NPDES permits regulate pollutant discharges into U.S. waterways. Facilities must report compliance quarterly.
Violation records
Last inspected: Dec 2025
Last inspected: Dec 2025
Data from EPA ECHO
To investigate water contamination, check the sampling locations, dates and results below. For tap water records, see Drinking water quality above.
Reviewed: source records as of 2026
Review historical EPA air pollution records, including monitoring and facility emissions where available. For current conditions, check local air quality on AirNow.
Jefferson County
Assessment year: 2020
According to EPA, a cancer risk of 20-in-1-million means that for every 1 million people continuously exposed to these air toxics over a 70-year lifetime, an estimated 20 may develop cancer from that exposure. This is in addition to cancer risk from all other causes.
Top modeled source groups
Data from EPA AirToxScreen
EPA designations apply to a specific pollutant and federal air quality standard (NAAQS). EPA can issue a clean-data determination while a formal designation remains in effect.
Historical designations under the revoked 1997 ozone standard
These records describe historical designations. EPA revoked the 1997 ozone standard on April 6, 2015.
Jefferson County Area
Historical standard: 0.08 ppm (8-hour)
Historical designation: Nonattainment · Subpart 2/Moderate
Original designation: Jun 2004
Open data source: EPA final revocation ruleContinuing requirements have not been verified for this area.
Data from EPA Green Book
EPA annual monitor summaries describe past measurements. For current air quality, see AirNow.
Perch River
Annual mean: 0.039 Parts per million
Observation year: 2025
Data from EPA AQS
Reviewed: source records as of Q4 2025
TRI releases are self-reported annual totals (calendar year 2024). Hover fugitive or stack for definitions.
Knowlton Technologies LLC
Reported: 2024
Reviewed: source query run Nov 2026
Brownfield sites are properties where redevelopment is complicated by the presence of hazardous substances.
Open data source: Search EPA ECHO1 site with active cleanup or investigation status
Pearl Street, Watertown
Reported: Feb 2026
Facilities with hazardous-waste handler records under RCRA in the reviewed 5-mile city-center search area. Active handler status is separate from air, water, or other ECHO compliance violations, which are shown in their own sections.
Active RCRA handler records in the reviewed city search area
No release reports shown in this group.
Reviewed: active/open records as of 2018
Data from EPA UST Finder
Reviewed: reporting year 2024
Formerly Used Defense Sites are properties previously owned by, leased to, or otherwise possessed by the United States and under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Defense. The FUDS program addresses environmental restoration at these properties.
Open data source: USACE FUDSSites regulated by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, including mines, sand and gravel operations, and portable crushers. Status and type are from the MSHA Mine Data Retrieval System. Records with active/intermittent status dates older than 5 years are shown as older records rather than current active sites.
Recently updated active/intermittent sites (1)
Data from MSHA
Jefferson County, NY
EPA Radon Zone Map (June 2024 release)
Jefferson County is EPA Radon Zone 2 (moderate potential). EPA defines Zone 2 counties as having predicted average indoor screening levels between 2 pCi/L and 4 pCi/L.
Radon levels can vary from home to home, so EPA recommends testing the property to know its indoor level.
FEMA flood zones describe mapped flood hazards. Look up a specific address with FEMA.
No FEMA flood-zone records shown for this report.
Results use an earlier stored RMP inventory. Current EPA ECHO location coverage is unverified.
EPA ECHO lists facilities linked to the Risk Management Program. Results include facilities with locations that can be matched. Records may be historical. Current operations, chemical inventories, and recent accident history are unverified.
PHMSA tracks incidents involving natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines. Incidents include leaks, ruptures, and explosions.
Recent Incidents (last 5 years)
NIAGARA MOHAWK POWER CORP
Incident date: Aug 14, 2023
Property damage: $70,134
Data from PHMSA
Health outcomes from County Health Rankings. Values shown alongside state and national averages.
Jefferson County, New YorkPop. 116,637
County Health Rankings edition: 2024
Premature Death
Poor or Fair Health
Poor Physical Health Days
Poor Mental Health Days
Adult Smoking
Adult Obesity
Air Pollution - Particulate Matter
Drinking water violation indicator
Diabetes Prevalence
Life Expectancy
| Indicator | County | State | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premature Death | 7,583 | 6,351 | 7,972 |
| Poor or Fair Health | 13.7% | 13.9% | 14.2% |
| Poor Physical Health Days | 3.4 | 3.1 | 3.3 |
| Poor Mental Health Days | 4.6 | 4.2 | 4.8 |
| Adult Smoking | 19.9% | 12.4% | 15.0% |
| Adult Obesity | 37.4% | 29.0% | 34.0% |
| Air Pollution - Particulate Matter | 6.7 | 6.9 | 7.3 |
| Drinking water violation indicator | Yes | N/A | N/A |
| Diabetes Prevalence | 10.0% | 10.1% | 9.6% |
| Life Expectancy | 77.3 | 79.7 | 77.6 |
EPA testing found PFAS in water samples from Watertown City. Results dated May 6, 2025 include PFOA at 0.0073 micrograms per liter and PFHxS at 0.0039 micrograms per liter.
Check with the utility that serves your address for its testing results.
EPA drinking water records on this page list 17 violations for Watertown City.
Check your water bill to identify the utility serving your address. Ask that utility about current drinking water advisories.
Nearby EPA monitoring stations provide annual air quality measurements for Watertown.
The monitoring station at Perch River recorded an annual average of 0.039 Parts per million for ozone in 2025.
The radon data for Watertown covers Jefferson County. EPA places this area in Zone 2, with a predicted average indoor radon screening level of 2 to 4 picocuries per liter.
No Superfund sites were returned for this city report.
This city report shows 1 brownfield site: Black Clawson.
The county data for Watertown reports a life expectancy of 77.3 years in Jefferson County, New York.
The figure is from the 2024 edition of County Health Rankings, a University of Wisconsin program that publishes county health statistics.
The county data for Watertown reports 7,583 years of life lost to deaths before age 75 per 100,000 residents in Jefferson County, New York. This measure adds up the years lost to early deaths and adjusts for differences in population age.
The figure is from the 2024 edition of County Health Rankings, a University of Wisconsin program that publishes county health statistics.
The county data for Watertown lists fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) at 6.7 micrograms per cubic meter in Jefferson County, New York.
The figure is from the 2024 edition of County Health Rankings, a University of Wisconsin program that publishes county health statistics.
Federal pipeline records list an incident involving Niagara Mohawk Power Corp near Watertown on Aug 14, 2023. The reported release was natural gas.