Is Big Flats, NY tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 5 utilities serving Big Flats has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and New York’s records: Horseheads Village.
Horseheads Village, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 3.0 ppb, above the health goal. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
A town can be served by more than one utility, and some homes are on private wells. The name on your water bill tells you which is yours, and your ZIP code narrows it down. They are listed by how many people each serves in Big Flats’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Horseheads Village
New York · serves 15,000 people · about 1,200 in Big Flats
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 3.0 ppb, above the health goal.
2 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Elmira Water Board
New York · serves 54,000 people · about 980 in Big Flats
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 1.1 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Big Flats Water District 5
New York · serves 8,489 people · about 540 in Big Flats
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 2.0 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Big Flats Water District 4
New York · serves 266 people · under 100 in Big Flats
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 2.0 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Bending River Estates
New York · serves 41 people · nearly all in Big Flats
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 4.8 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in Horseheads Village’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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Brita Tahoe Pitcher with Elite Filter (OB60, OB06)
Pitcher
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 13, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 53checked Oct. 13, 2026
Certified for: Lead
Brita Everyday Pitcher with Elite Filter (OB46, OB06)
Pitcher
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 13, 2026
Certified for: Lead
PUR PLUS 11-Cup Pitcher (PPT111W)
Pitcher
- NSF listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Lead
Water testing near Big Flats
The 3 labs New York certifies closest to Big Flats, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Ghm Environmental
Savona, NY · about 19 miles
Certified for bacteria
Community Science Institute, Inc.
Ithaca, NY · about 27 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate
R&J Laboratories
Penn Yan, NY · about 36 miles
Certified for lead and copper
Which ZIP codes are in Big Flats: Census 2020 relationship files. Which utilities serve them, and how many people: EPA SDWIS and EPA’s service area map. Each utility’s results: EPA UCMR 5, EPA SDWIS, and EPA’s and the state’s compliance monitoring, as its report lists them. How they are measured: methodology. Certified labs: NYS Environmental Laboratory Approval Program (ELAP), drinking water labs, as listed in TNI LAMS; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer.
Near Big Flats
Towns nearby with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Horseheads Village’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for LeadRanked by certification and what they cost over five years.The best water filters for lead, ranked
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water