Tap
- Price:
- $0
- Waste:
- No waste
- Safety:
- Safe
- Taste:
- Slight chlorine on public supply.
FROM THE TAP
Is the water safe here?
A hamlet-by-hamlet answer.
- Safe on public water 11
- Filter first 3
- Private well: ask or test 3
Sag Harbor
Yes, if you are on public water. SCWA's Annual Water Quality Report says its supply "meets and often surpasses all water quality regulations," and since June 2025 SCWA reports all treated water it delivers is in full compliance with the federal 4 ppt limits for PFOA and PFOS. Look your address up in SCWA's See My Water Quality; if it is not on the system you are on a private well and testing is yours to do.
Bottled
- Price:
- $1–4 / bottle
- Waste:
- Plastic waste
- Safety:
- Only necessary in red hamlets
Filtered
- Price:
- $30–450 up front
- NSF-ANSI 53:
- Berkey · ZeroWater · AquaTru · carbon-block
- Recommended:
- Optional NSF-ANSI 53 carbon-block pitcher (Brita Elite, ZeroWater) for taste.
Ace Hardware East Hampton · Home Depot Riverhead · Amazon
Sources: SCWA Annual Water Quality Report · SCWA — See My Water Quality (address lookup) · SCWA — full compliance with federal PFAS standards (June 10, 2025) · EPA — Ground Water and Drinking Water · SCWA · PFAS · 1,4-dioxane
Check your rental address or hamlet
East End water districts
What the colors mean
Safe public water Public, contaminants flagged Private well Not yet mapped
Filters6 districts
🟡 Public water — contaminants of concern
Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA)
The public supplier for most of the East End: 1.1 million people on 336,418 service connections, all of it groundwater.
- Towns served:
- Southampton, Water Mill, Bridgehampton, Sagaponack, Wainscott, East Hampton, Amagansett, Montauk, Springs, Noyac, Sag Harbor, North Sea, Tuckahoe, Hampton Bays, Quogue, East Quogue, Westhampton, Westhampton Beach, Remsenburg, Speonk, Eastport
- ZIP codes:
- 11932, 11937, 11930, 11963, 11968, 11976, 11962, 11975, 11946, 11959, 11942, 11977, 11978, 11960, 11972
- Contact:
- 631-698-9500
🟢 Public water — no current advisories
Hampton Bays Water District
A Town of Southampton district, and not a small one: 12,500 people on 6,194 connections, pumped from 11 active wells…
- Towns served:
- Hampton Bays
- ZIP codes:
- 11946
- Contact:
- 631-728-0179
Show 4 more water districts
🔴 Private well — homeowner responsible
Shelter Island (mostly private wells)
Under a mandatory drought restriction right now: the Town Board allows no sprinkler irrigation between 10am and 4pm, island-wide, until…
- Towns served:
- Shelter Island, Shelter Island Heights
- ZIP codes:
- 11964, 11965
- Contact:
- 631-749-0291
🟡 Public water — contaminants of concern
Riverhead Water District
Town-operated: roughly 36,000 people drawing on 15 active wells, plus one held in reserve at the former Northrop Grumman site…
- Towns served:
- Riverhead, Wading River, Calverton
- ZIP codes:
- 11901, 11792, 11933
- Contact:
- 631-727-3205
🔴 Private well — homeowner responsible
North Fork Private Wells (Cutchogue, Mattituck, Orient, Southold)
Two answers apply here depending on the house.
- Towns served:
- Cutchogue, Mattituck, Southold, Orient, New Suffolk, Peconic, Laurel
- ZIP codes:
- 11935, 11952, 11971, 11957, 11956, 11958, 11948
- Contact:
- 631-698-9500
🟡 Public water — contaminants of concern
Village of Greenport Water District
The Village does not pump its own water.
- Towns served:
- Greenport Village
- ZIP codes:
- 11944
- Contact:
- 631-477-0248
What's in the water?
- PFAS ("forever chemicals")
- Industrial compounds used in firefighting foam and consumer products. On the East End they have turned up in private wells — 150-plus south of East Hampton Airport in Wainscott, 57 more around Westhampton. SCWA reports its own treated supply has met the federal 4 ppt PFOA and PFOS limits since June 2025. Removed by carbon-block and reverse-osmosis filters certified to NSF/ANSI 53 or 58.
- 1,4-dioxane
- Industrial solvent flagged in some Suffolk wells. New York State was the first in the country to set a limit, 1 ppb. SCWA's advanced-oxidation plant — hydrogen peroxide plus UV, over 97% removal — is in Central Islip, not out here. Riverhead runs no advanced oxidation and reported 1,4-dioxane non-detect across its wells in 2025.
- Nitrates
- Fertiliser nitrogen and on-site septic systems, not farms alone, and not private wells alone — Riverhead Water District reported nitrate up to 5.4 mg/L in 2025 against a 10 mg/L limit. Riverhead tells anyone caring for an infant to ask their healthcare provider. Carbon block does nothing for nitrate; reverse osmosis does.
- Lead
- Rare in East End service lines, but possible in older home plumbing. Greenport's own report says flush for several minutes, not seconds — a shower or a load of dishes does it — longer if you have a lead service line, and use cold water only for drinking, cooking and formula. Boiling does not remove lead.
What to do
🏨 Renting an Airbnb or hotel
Ask the host for the most recent water test (private well) or the SCWA report (public). Bottled water is a fine default if unsure.
🏡 Homeowner with a well
Test annually via a Suffolk DHS-certified lab. Install a whole-house carbon filter if PFAS is a regional concern, and replace filters per spec.
👶 Pregnant or infants
Use a certified PFAS-removing filter or bottled water for drinking and formula, regardless of source.
🐕 Dogs
Generally fine on the same water you'd drink. If you wouldn't drink it, don't give it to your dog.
🏖️ Public beaches & parks
Fountains where present are on SCWA municipal water and are generally safe. (Beach swimming water is a separate question — see the beaches page.)
Filter standards to look for
- NSF/ANSI 53 — certified for lead and many VOCs including some PFAS.
- NSF/ANSI 58 — reverse-osmosis, certified for dissolved solids including PFAS and 1,4-dioxane.
- NSF/ANSI 401 — emerging contaminants including pharmaceuticals.
Source: NSF.org. Hamptons Verified does not recommend specific brands.
Building community? Visit /comunidad.
Emergencies: dial 911. This page is for planning, not medical advice.