Cortland Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Cortland, New York, in Cortland County — the Cortland County seat adjacent to Ithaca and Homer, home of SUNY Cortland, in the central New York Southern Tier Allegheny Plateau — receives its municipal water from the Cortland City Water Division, drawing from Lime Hollow Reservoir or the Gracie Road Reservoir system in the Tioughnioga River watershed.

The soft 73 mg/L hardness and low TDS of 118.2 mg/L reflect the Tioughnioga watershed's Allegheny Plateau character. The reservoirs above Cortland drain the Allegheny Plateau of central New York — terrain underlain by the Devonian Genesee Formation and Devonian Hamilton Group (shale and siltstone — very low carbonate content), the Devonian Tully Formation limestone (thin, limited distribution), and the Devonian Onondaga Limestone (lower Devonian carbonate — a minor hardness contributor). The predominantly insoluble Devonian shale and siltstone of the central New York plateau produce the soft water characteristic of the Finger Lakes region reservoirs.

At 73 mg/L, Cortland's water is soft — essentially no scale forms, soap lathers abundantly, and appliances maintain good efficiency. Annual descaling is sufficient. The PFAS level of 3.7 ppt warrants a certified drinking water filter — the Cortland County manufacturing corridor and the central New York PFAS background contribute to Cortland's readings.