Is Rotterdam, NY tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 3 utilities serving Rotterdam 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: Guilderland Town WD.
Rotterdam WD #5, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 0.83 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 Rotterdam’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Rotterdam WD #5
New York · serves 28,000 people · about 3,900 in Rotterdam
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 0.83 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Schenectady City Water Works
New York · serves 62,000 people · about 2,900 in Rotterdam
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 3.0 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Guilderland Town WD
New York · serves 30,000 people · about 2,100 in Rotterdam
1 result above the legal limit and 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) at 81.7 ppb, above the legal limit.
3 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 Rotterdam WD #5’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 Rotterdam
The 3 labs New York certifies closest to Rotterdam, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Eden Laboratory, Inc.
Schenectady, NY · about 4 miles
Certified for nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Jh Consulting Group, Inc.
Loudonville, NY · about 12 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate
NYS DOH Environmental Biology Laboratory
Albany, NY · about 12 miles
Certified for bacteria
Which ZIP codes are in Rotterdam: 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 Rotterdam
Other towns in Albany County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Rotterdam WD #5’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