City Hall faucet water shows trace lead but no PFAS, study finds

A July sample taken from a drinking fountain in the City Hall basement showed 1.13 ppb of lead, a concentration that complies with the city’s 15 ppb limit but exceeds the 1 ppb threshold recommended by health authorities. Water-science specialist Eric Roy, who led the analysis for Culligan, said the lead originates from old pipe material rather than the source water, which comes from the Catskills. The same test found no detectable PFAS, despite recent lawsuits by Attorney General Letitia James against manufacturers of those chemicals.

Roy cautioned that a single-point test may miss intermittent PFAS presence, as water quality can vary with factors like rainfall. City Hall’s own spokesperson emphasized that the municipal system uses orthophosphate to coat pipes and prevent lead leaching, and that the Department of Environmental Protection monitors the supply continuously. The city encourages residents to request free lead-testing kits via 311, noting that replacement of lead service lines is ongoing but still limited.