Latham Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Latham, New York, in Albany County — an unincorporated Albany County community directly north of Albany in the Town of Colonie, adjacent to the Albany International Airport corridor, a dense residential and commercial suburb in the Capital Region — receives its municipal water from the Albany County Water Purification District or the Town of Colonie Water Department, which draws from the Mohawk River at the Albany-Colonie Water Plant or from the Tomhannock Reservoir (on Tomhannock Creek in Rensselaer County) as the Albany-Rensselaer metropolitan water supply.

The moderately soft 72 mg/L hardness and TDS of 114.4 mg/L reflect the Capital Region supply's Hudson-Mohawk Valley geological character. The Mohawk River drains the Central New York corridor — passing through Herkimer, Montgomery, and Schenectady Counties over Ordovician black shale (Utica Shale, Lorraine Group), Silurian calcareous formations, and the Cambrian Potsdam Sandstone. The Tomhannock watershed drains the Taconic Hills (Ordovician shale and argillite) of eastern Rensselaer County. Both sources are moderately soft, reflecting the dominantly siliciclastic Ordovician shale and Taconic crystalline terrain with limited carbonate influence.

At 72 mg/L, Latham's water is moderately soft — comfortable for household use. Scale forms slowly over many months, soap lathers well, and appliances operate efficiently. Semi-annual descaling is adequate. The PFAS level of 3.6 ppt is moderate for the Capital District — Albany International Airport (a significant AFFF user directly adjacent to Latham), Watervliet Arsenal (US Army — historic weapons manufacturing facility), and the broader Albany industrial heritage contribute to the Capital District's PFAS background.