Ambient Groundwater Quality Monitoring in New York

The objective of the ambient groundwater quality monitoring project in NYS is to quantify and report on ambient groundwater quality from bedrock and glacial-drift aquifers in upstate New York and is an ongoing cooperative project between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). The project began in 2002, and the last round of sampling occurred in 2022. In spring 2024, the USGS and NYSDEC began a statewide groundwater quality analysis that utilizes this upstate NY dataset (almost 900 wells sampled) and USGS-collected groundwater quality data in Long Island (almost 200 wells sampled) to better understand the quality of groundwater used for drinking water across NYS. Data analysis and interpretation is focused on assessing factors affecting the occurrence and distribution of constituents across the state, particularly those that are of concern to public health regionally or statewide. Groundwater sampling will resume in spring 2026 following a redesign of the program that utilizes findings from the statewide analysis.