Important information about your drinking water
The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) recently completed an administrative review of the City of Rochester’s compliance with the Lead and Copper Rule.
Their review has concluded that in 1998, NYSDOH incorrectly approved the City’s optimal corrosion control treatment designation. As a result, NYSDOH has revoked that approval, and issued the City a violation of the New York State Sanitary Code for failure to have an optimal corrosion control treatment in place. As our customers, you have a right to know what happened, what you should do, and what we did (and are doing) to correct this situation.
What does this mean?
Nothing has changed with regard to water quality or lead levels in the samples we collect. The City has operated under the approval granted by NYSDOH since 1998 and has never exceeded the lead Action Level since the Lead and Copper Rule was established in 1991. We currently conduct routine sampling of our water at customers’ taps twice a year for lead. The tests continue to show lead levels in the water below the limit, or “action level” of 15 parts per billion.
What is being done?
The City of Rochester has one of the most comprehensive and proactive lead in drinking water programs in New York State. Our Lead Service Line Replacement Program has removed over 9,300 lead services since 2018, intending to remove all lead services by 2030.
In addition, before the review conducted by DOH and EPA, the City began a comprehensive corrosion control treatment study in 2022 in a proactive effort to meet the more stringent requirements of the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, which take effect in 2028. This study will identify a treatment method that will help further reduce lead in drinking water. The study is anticipated to be completed in the Spring of 2026. Once approved, we will then add the selected corrosion control technology to our treatment process, which will bring us back into compliance.
Learn more: Let's Get The Lead Out Together
What should I do?
You can use these simple steps to minimize lead in your tap water:
• Use only cold water for drinking, cooking, and preparing baby formula. Hot water dissolves lead more quickly.
• Flush your pipes anytime water has been unused for more than 4–6 hours. Lead levels are highest when water has been sitting in the pipe. Run your cold water for 3 to 5 minutes to ensure complete flushing.
• Routinely clean faucet screens , which can accumulate lead and rust particles.
• Use a water filter that is certified NSF 53 to remove lead. Find out more at www.nsf.org.
• For more information, please visit our webpage at cityofrochester.gov/lead, or email us at gettheleadout@cityofrochester.gov.
Exposure to lead in drinking water can cause serious health effects in all age groups. Infants and children can have decreases in IQ and attention span. Lead exposure can lead to new learning and behavior problems or exacerbate existing ones. The children of women who are exposed to lead before or during pregnancy can have an increased risk of these adverse health effects. Adults can have increased risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney problems, or nervous system problems.*
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly with their City water bill (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
FAQ
FAQ: Optimal Corrosion Control Treatment (OCCT) and the EPA's Lead and Copper Rule (LCR)
1. What is Optimal Corrosion Control Treatment (OCCT)?
OCCT refers to the treatment technique selected and approved to minimize the leaching of lead and copper from plumbing materials into drinking water. It typically involves adjusting water chemistry (e.g., pH, alkalinity, or the addition of corrosion inhibitors like orthophosphate) to form protective scales inside pipes. Water systems like the City of Rochester were required to conduct studies and select their OCCT when the LCR was published.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) published the LCR in 1991 for the purpose of protecting public health by minimizing lead and copper levels in drinking water. OCCT is a primary tool for compliance with the LCR.
2. What is a corrosion control study?
A corrosion control study is a highly complex technical analysis performed by water systems to identify the most effective corrosion control methods. Corrosion control studies typically involve laboratory testing of a variety of treatment processes on water system lead service lines. The effects of various treatment chemicals on the lead services are evaluated over a period of 2–3 years to determine which treatment will work best with a system’s water chemistry.
Studies typically include detailed evaluations of:
- Water quality parameters
- Distribution system characteristics
- Bench-scale or pilot testing
- Various combinations of treatment options
- Consideration of potential impacts a treatment could have on other EPA regulations
3. Who determines what OCCT is acceptable for a water system?
Once a water system has completed a corrosion control study, it must submit a report to the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) for review. NYSDOH has six months to evaluate the corrosion control study and make a determination on the selected OCCT.
4. Did the City of Rochester complete a Corrosion Control Study?
Yes. The City conducted an extensive corrosion control study in the early 1990s. This study coincided with the commissioning of the Hemlock Water Filtration Plant (1993–1995). Several corrosion control treatment techniques were evaluated. During this evaluation, the Water Bureau noted that lead levels throughout the City declined as much or more with the commissioning of the Hemlock Filtration Plant than they did with treatments being evaluated by the study.
Upon further research, Water Bureau staff concluded that the filtration process at the Hemlock facility was improving water quality conditions and effectively reducing lead corrosion. Based on these findings, in 1996 the City proposed to the NYS Department of Health that the water system be declared optimized for lead control, because the studies that had been performed found none of the tested treatments to be any more effective than the Hemlock Filtration process itself.
In 1998 after requesting additional supporting documentation, and several rounds of lead testing below the action level of 15 ppb, NYSDOH approved the City’s proposal, designating the filtration process at Hemlock Lake to be the mechanism of corrosion control optimization. The City has operated under that approval ever since.
5. Was the City’s OCCT effective at controlling lead levels?
Yes. Water Bureau staff have been regularly monitoring water quality parameters like pH, alkalinity, chlorine residuals, and lead/copper levels at sampling sites since 1992. During that time, the City has never exceeded the lead action level of 15 ppb. We currently collect over 200 lead samples per year at customer taps to demonstrate compliance to NYSDOH.
6. If the City is not above the lead action level, why did NYSDOH issue this violation?
In 2022, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) began a detailed audit of Lead and Copper Rule implementation by state health agencies. As part of this audit, EPA reviewed all of the original OCCT study materials and the process NYSDOH used to grant approval for OCCT for all of the large water systems in New York State.
EPA’s audit concluded that NYSDOH incorrectly granted approval to the City’s request to designate the filtration process at Hemlock as OCCT. As a result, EPA has required NYSDOH to rescind the approval granted to the City in 1998 and issue a violation for not having an approved OCCT process.
7. What is the City doing to update its OCCT to align with EPA requirements?
In late 2022, the City began a new comprehensive corrosion control treatment study in a proactive effort to meet the more stringent requirements of the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI), which take effect in 2028. LCRI sets more stringent standards for lead in drinking water, with a lower Action Level of 10 parts per billion. This study will identify a treatment method that will help further reduce lead in drinking water. It is anticipated that the study will be completed in Spring 2026. Once approved by NYSDOH, we will then add the selected corrosion control technology to our treatment process which will bring us back into compliance.
The City of Rochester has one of the most comprehensive and proactive lead in drinking water programs in New York State. Our Lead Service Line Replacement Program has removed more than 9,800 lead services since 2018, with the goal of removing all lead services by 2030.
Contact
For more information visit: cityofrochester.gov/lead or call (585) 428-7500.
You may contact a customer service representative by dialing 311.
Call (585) 428-5990 if outside of the city limits. Our offices are at 10 Felix St., Rochester, NY 14608