Howard Beach Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Howard Beach, New York, in Queens County — a major southeast Queens waterfront and historic community (Howard Beach is a significant Queens County neighborhood — a southeast Queens waterfront community on Jamaica Bay adjacent to Ozone Park; Howard Beach is one of the most historically significant neighborhoods in Queens for Italian-American culture (Howard Beach has been one of the most strongly Italian-American communities in New York City since the mid-20th century; the neighborhood has historically been associated with tight-knit Italian-American working-class and middle-class families who settled there from Brooklyn and other boroughs)); Howard Beach gained national attention for the 1986 racial attack (in December 1986, a group of white youths from Howard Beach attacked three Black men who had entered the neighborhood; one of the men, Michael Griffith, was killed when he fled onto the Belt Parkway and was struck by a car; the Howard Beach attack became one of the most significant racial incidents in New York City in the 1980s and prompted major discussions about racial violence and justice in NYC; the attack led to changes in how racially motivated crimes were prosecuted in New York); Howard Beach is adjacent to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK — one of the busiest international airports in the United States), a diverse Queens County community — draws its municipal water supply via the NYC Department of Environmental Protection. Water hardness in Howard Beach measures 69.5 mg/L — classified as moderately soft.

Howard Beach's moderate softness reflects the NYC Queens County Catskill and Delaware watershed's calcareous-poor character. The NYC DEP Catskill and Delaware system delivers water with effective treatment, producing the moderately soft 69.5 mg/L.

With hardness at 69.5 mg/L, Howard Beach residents enjoy moderately soft water. NYC DEP consistently delivers water meeting all New York State DEC and EPA Safe Drinking Water Act requirements.