New York
Newburgh
Your water system exceeds federal PFAS limits. We recommend taking action.
- Population served
- 51K
- Systems tested
- 2
- Compounds detected
- 58
- Above federal limits
- 1
Source: EPA UCMR 5 · Samples collected 2023–2026
Read the full investigation
PFAS in Newburgh, NY: Stewart Air National Guard Base and Washington LakeNewburgh has gone nearly a decade without its main drinking water source after PFOS from Stewart Air National Guard Base contaminated Washington Lake. Current EPA testing shows PFOA at the federal limit in the alternate supply.
What was found in Newburgh’s water
1 PFAS compound exceeds federal drinking water limits in Newburgh’s water supply.
NEWBURGH CITY
Serves 29K people · SW
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
NEWBURGH CONSOLIDATED WD
Serves 22K people · SW
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
About PFAS contamination in Newburgh
## Summary
The most recent federal PFAS testing under the EPA's fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5) tells two different stories for the Newburgh area, depending on which of two separate water utilities serves a given address. The City of Newburgh's municipal system detected no PFAS compounds above the EPA Minimum Reporting Level, a result that reflects years of remediation work following a significant contamination episode: in the mid-2010s, PFAS compounds linked to aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) used at Stewart Air National Guard Base were detected in Washington Lake, the city's primary source at the time. The city responded by switching sources and installing granular activated carbon treatment, and that investment appears to be working. The Town of Newburgh Consolidated Water District, a separate utility serving roughly 22,000 residents in the surrounding area, tells a different story: UCMR 5 testing found PFOA at levels exceeding the federal Maximum Contaminant Level, and no equivalent treatment is yet in place there.
## What the data shows
UCMR 5 testing covered all 29 PFAS compounds in the federal monitoring program. The City of Newburgh (PWSID NY3503549) returned non-detects across all 29 compounds, meaning no PFAS were found above the EPA Minimum Reporting Level in any sample. The Town of Newburgh Consolidated Water District (PWSID NY3503578) produced a sharply different result: PFOA was detected at 4.33 parts per trillion, approximately 1.08 times the EPA's Maximum Contaminant Level of 4.0 ppt; three additional compounds (PFHxA at 3.7 ppt, PFPeA at 4.9 ppt, and PFHpA at 3.4 ppt) were also detected above the Minimum Reporting Level, though below their respective federal limits.
## What residents should know
Customers of the City of Newburgh are currently protected by treatment that is producing results well below federal thresholds, but residents on private wells in the broader region should not assume their water matches the municipal system's results and may want to contact their county health department. Customers of the Town of Newburgh Consolidated Water District are being served water with PFOA above the federal MCL; that utility should be contacted directly for information on remediation timelines and any interim steps being taken. Senators Schumer and Gillibrand have publicly pressed for federal action and settlement eligibility for affected systems, so the regulatory picture may change. Residents with concerns about filtration options should consult their water utility and review filter guidance from a certified testing laboratory or public health agency.
About this summary: Narrative text on this page was drafted by an AI model (claude-sonnet-4-6) from EPA UCMR 5 data and reviewed before publication. The numeric data above is reported by water utilities directly to the EPA. If you spot an error, email data@checkyourwater.org.
What happened next in Newburgh
A running record of how government, utilities, and the community have responded since this data went public.
- Community Action
City officials raise concerns about short-chain PFAS removal
Newburgh city officials and residents continue to raise concerns about whether the existing GAC filtration system can effectively remove short-chain PFAS, even as state officials maintain it can handle both short- and long-chain compounds.
- Utility Response
GAC treatment system continues filtering Washington Lake water
The granular activated carbon treatment system installed by New York State at Washington Lake continues to filter PFAS out of Newburgh's primary drinking water source. State testing has shown the system to be effective for both long-chain PFOA and PFOS.
What Newburgh residents can do
Newburgh's water exceeds federal PFAS limits. We recommend residents take action:
- Install a reverse osmosis (RO) or activated-carbon water filter certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 53 or 58 for PFAS reduction. RO systems remove the widest range of PFAS compounds.
- Do NOT boil your water to remove PFAS. Boiling concentrates them.
- Request your most recent Consumer Confidence Report from your utility and ask when PFAS treatment will be installed.
- Contact your local elected officials and water utility board to demand a remediation timeline.
- Get independent water testing through services like Tap Score (mytapscore.com) if you want to verify your in-home levels.
- Talk to your healthcare provider about PFAS exposure, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or have young children.
Primary contamination source: Stewart Air National Guard Base AFFF
Settlement information: Settlement eligible; Schumer/Gillibrand pressure
How Newburgh compares
Newburgh is one of 1 community we track in New York where PFAS levels exceed federal limits.
Where this data comes from
- Testing program: EPA Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, 5th cycle (UCMR 5)
- Testing period: 2023–2026
- Federal limits: EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) finalized April 2024
- Methodology: Read how we calculate grades
- Raw EPA data: EPA UCMR Occurrence Data
This data reflects EPA testing. Your water utility may have more recent results. Contact them directly for the most current information.