Recommended Free Tools
Cornell students have created the first broad public map of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) across New York’s Finger Lakes region. The team collected more than 500 water samples from 300 bodies of water, including all 11 Finger Lakes, and screened each sample for 24 commonly measured PFAS. The interactive map shows generally low concentrations region-wide, with localized hotspots near airports and fire-training facilities.
The findings are a regional baseline, not a guarantee that every shoreline, tributary or well is free of PFAS. Whether a hotspot matters for drinking water depends on its distance from a source, hydraulic connection, sampling date and the type of water supply involved.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
What the Finger Lakes PFAS map covers
The FLX PFAS Project is led by Cornell civil and environmental engineering professor Damian Helbling’s research group. Cornell’s 2026 account says students sampled more than 500 locations across 300 bodies of water, covering all 11 Finger Lakes, and tested for 24 PFAS compounds. Results were published through an interactive public map.
A formal 2025 report from the New York State Water Resources Institute records an earlier milestone of more than 400 samples from more than 300 sites and describes the project as established in 2023. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and NYSWRI announced a $33,700 Cornell grant in 2024 to collect up to 200 samples and integrate PFAS data into a public web platform.
#1 Best Overall
- AT-HOME TEST FOR 29 COMPOUNDS: The most comprehensive and advanced PFAS water analysis covering 29 chemicals, including PFOA, PFAS, PFNA, and more—all from one easy-to-use kit. See images for full list of compounds.
- USE FOR ALL TYPES OF DRINKING WATER: Ideal for testing tap, city, well, filtered, rain, and any source of drinking water. PFAS chemicals can enter your water through landfill runoff, industrial chemicals, and more, making testing useful across all household water sources.
- FAST, CLEAR REPORTS: Verified, accurate results within 5 business days of sample delivery to lab. Our easy-to-read, actionable reports interpret your levels against federal guidelines, and help educate you on your home's water safety.
- LEADING WATER TESTING LAB IN THE USA: Every test is processed in our USA based lab, accredited by ISO/IEC 17025 and certified by the EPA & NELAP, ensuring accurate and quality results.
- ALL-IN-ONE KIT: This simple test kit includes clear instructions, sample collection materials and prepaid return shipping, with no hidden costs.
| Project detail | Reported figure | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Water samples | More than 500 | Figure in Cornell’s 2026 account |
| Water bodies or sites | 300 | Includes all 11 Finger Lakes |
| PFAS compounds screened | 24 | Commonly measured analytes |
| Earlier project milestone | Over 400 samples from over 300 sites | 2025 NYSWRI report |
| State grant | $33,700 | 2024 award; supported up to 200 additional samples and web integration |
What the map found
Overall PFAS concentrations are relatively low across the region, according to the Cornell project account. Elevated readings were concentrated in standing water near airports and fire-training stations. Aircraft de-icing fluids and firefighting foams are plausible sources in those settings, although a hotspot’s exact source must be evaluated site by site.
Many of the highest readings occurred in isolated ponds or other waters that are not drinking-water sources. A high result in one of those locations therefore does not automatically mean that a nearby lake, municipal intake or household tap has the same concentration.
Rank #2
- BEST WATER TEST: Tap Score is fast, accurate and easy. Tap Score laboratory test kits are utilized by millions of American homes and businesses every year.
- CERTIFIED LABS: Tap Score’s network of EPA/NELAC/ISO and State Certified Labs provides you the fastest and most accurate results for thousands of contaminants found in drinking water.
- TESTS FOR: 18 PFAS compounds including PFOS (Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid), PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid), Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid, Perfluoroheptanoic acid, Perfluorononanoic acid, Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid, Perfluoroundecanoic acid, Perfluorododecanoic acid, Perfluorodecanoic acid, Perfluorohexanoic acid, NEtFOSAA, NMeFOSAA, Perfluorotetradecanoic acid, Perfluorotridecanoic acid, GenX, 11-Chloroeicosafluoro-3-oxaundecane-1-sulfonic acid, 9-Chlorohexadecafluoro-3-oxanonane-1-sulfonic acid, and 4,8-Dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoic acid
- EPA METHOD: 537.1 detects analytes to concentrations below 2 parts per trillion (PPT)
- INCLUDES EVERYTHING: Sterilized and Preserved Water Sampling Vials with Pre-Paid Shipping Label for the Lab
Hotspots usually remain close to their source
The 2025 report says dilution and limited hydraulic connectivity restrict PFAS transport in surface water. Hotspot influence “rarely extends beyond 1 km from the primary source.” That is a regional pattern, not a fixed safety radius: a connected stream, groundwater pathway or unusual release could produce a different result.
Fire-training activity can leave a time signature
The report describes temporal patterns that probably correspond to fire-training exercises. One site recorded very high concentrations that dissipated over several months. The relative mix, or co-occurrence, of the 24 measured PFAS can also help investigators connect contamination to particular uses and sources.
Rank #3
- Clear Range: This house water testing kit offers clear, easy to read results and acceptable ranges for all substances. The water contaminant tester delivers clear results on any type of water
- Easy to Use: The water hardness test kit for water softener is as easy as adding the water, setting a timer, and reading the results. The pH strips for water testing come with an easy-to-read results guide
- Easy to Understand: The water tester for drinking water comes with a clear guide on the outside of the bottle that lines up with each strip, from alkaline level to soft characteristic readings
- Data Sheet Included: These water testing kits for drinking water include a data sheet to record readings for later analysis. The complete water tester for chemicals has it all
- Peace of Mind: This well water test kit comes with a 17-in-1 test strip and 2 separate bacteria tests to check for coliform and e coli. Knowing what’s in the water for peace of mind is easy
Does a Finger Lake hotspot make drinking water dangerous?
Not by itself. Risk depends on whether contaminated water reaches a drinking-water intake or a private well, how much PFAS is present, and whether the result is confirmed through repeat sampling. The map includes many surface-water bodies that are hydraulically isolated from major supplies.
New York’s enforceable public-drinking-water limits, adopted in 2020, are 10 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOA and 10 ppt for PFOS. Public water systems must monitor and report detections; confirmed exceedances require public notification and corrective action under state requirements. These limits apply to regulated public supplies, not directly to every lake, pond or private well.
Rank #4
- FOR ANY DRINKING WATER SOURCE: This is an ideal test for any home served by a utility or well–especially wells near farming or industrial activity. Analysis includes basic chemistry, metals, minerals, bacteria, and organic chemistry related to chlorine or industrial contamination.
- TESTS FOR: 116 Analytes, including Heavy Metals, Coliform & E. coli Bacteria, Disinfection Byproducts, Nitrates, and pH, Hardness, Alkalinity, and other Calculated Parameters (see more on listing image)
- METALS AND MINERALS: Aluminium, Antimony, Arsenic, Barium, Beryllium, Cadmium, Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Iron, Lead, Manganese, Mercury, Molybdenum, Nickel, Selenium, Silica, Silver, Thallium, Tin, Titanium, Uranium, Vanadium, Zinc
- CERTIFIED LABS: Tap Score’s network of EPA/NELAC/ISO and State Certified Labs provides you the fastest and most accurate results for thousands of contaminants found in drinking water.
- INCLUDES EVERYTHING: Each test kit includes easy sampling materials, clear instructions, pre-paid return shipping labels and access to a thorough but easy to read lab report with unbiased filtration recommendations, health guidance and taste evaluation (when applicable).
What private-well owners should do
New York does not directly regulate PFAS in private wells. A map result near your property is a reason to seek site-specific advice, not proof that your well is contaminated.
- Identify the sample location, date and PFAS compounds shown on the public map.
- Estimate the distance to your well and determine whether surface water, groundwater or drainage connects the two locations.
- Contact your local health department or the New York State Department of Health’s Bureau of Environmental Exposure Investigation for guidance on PFAS private-well testing.
- Use a laboratory and treatment device certified for the specific PFAS claims you need. Do not assume a generic carbon filter or water softener removes PFAS.
- Keep the laboratory report and, if treatment is installed, arrange follow-up testing to verify performance.
Residents using a public system should ask the utility for its PFAS monitoring results and any notices rather than extrapolating from a nearby shoreline sample.
Best Value
- 17 IMPORTANT PARAMETERS: The Varify Premium Drinking Water Test Kit offers an unrivaled, complete analysis of your drinking water by testing for 17 essential parameters. This includes crucial tests for chlorine, fluoride, lead, iron, bacteria, and more, ensuring that you're fully informed about the quality of your water. With this extensive range of testing capabilities, you can detect contaminants and imbalances that could affect your health, providing a holistic view of your water's safety.
- PREMIUM QUALITY: Varify stands out with its professional-grade quality, ensuring that every test strip in the kit meets the standards of precision and reliability. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, this kit is designed to provide you with a dependable and thorough analysis of your water's composition.
- EASY TO USE: Varify's water test strips and Bacteria Test kits feature a user-friendly, color-coded system for quick and precise water quality assessments. With clear color changes indicating various parameters, these strips make complex data easily understandable, ensuring you can evaluate your water's safety effortlessly in just minutes.
- ACCURATE AND RELIABLE: Varify's water test kit comes with 100 strips in 5 separately sealed pouches (20 strips each), preserving freshness and extending shelf life for dependable testing. It also includes 2 easy-to-use bacteria tests that deliver results in 48 hours, ensuring thorough and accurate assessment of your water's safety and cleanliness. This design ensures precision and convenience in monitoring your water quality.
- WATER TESTING KITS THAT GIVE BACK: With every Varify test kit, not only do you secure the safety of your drinking water with our precise and easy-to-use testing solutions, but you also contribute to a global cause. A portion of proceeds goes to Water For Good, fighting water poverty in Central Africa. This means each test not only brings peace of mind to you but also supports #CleanWaterWorldwide, making a real difference in communities in need.
How to read the interactive map responsibly
- Check the analyte: PFOA and PFOS are the compounds covered by New York’s 10-ppt public-water limits, while the project measured 22 additional PFAS.
- Check the setting: A pond beside an airport or training area may not feed a drinking-water source.
- Check connectivity: Distance, tributaries, groundwater flow and dilution matter more than a simple straight-line radius.
- Check the date: PFAS levels can change after a release or training event, so one sample is not a permanent condition.
- Look for repeat data: Confirmed trends are more informative than a single unusually high reading.
Why this is a baseline, not a final verdict
The project gives residents and agencies an unusually broad starting point: hundreds of samples across the entire Finger Lakes region rather than a study of one facility or one intake. It can reveal patterns, prioritize follow-up testing and provide a reference point if land use changes.
Helbling described the results as “a snapshot of water quality today” that can be compared with samples collected after new industries arrive. Project map infrastructure creator Alex Van Den Hende said the team felt relief that elevated levels were not widespread. Those observations support continued monitoring, not a conclusion that PFAS cannot appear later or that every untested private well is unaffected.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
