OCWA - Central New York's Water Authority

09/04/2026

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

This Labor Day, we're proud to recognize and thank the hardworking men and women who help keep our community safe, healthy, and thriving.

We're especially grateful for the dedicated OCWA employees who work behind the scenes every day to provide reliable water service to our community.

Wishing everyone a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable Labor Day weekend!

09/03/2026

This week, a grateful customer brought this beautiful bouquet of flowers to say "thank you" to Amy, one of our dedicated customer service representatives, for going above and beyond.

We're proud to have team members who care so much about our customers--and customers who take the time to show their appreciation!

08/28/2026

Otisco Lake is an invaluable asset to Central New York. It is a great place to live, a premier fishing location, and it also serves as one of the main drinking water sources for Onondaga County residents. That is why protecting the Otisco Lake watershed and preserving the Lake’s water quality are top priorities for OCWA.

OCWA works year-round to protect Otisco Lake. What steps does OCWA take to accomplish this?

✔OCWA works in cooperation with various state and local entities to continue to develop watershed protection initiatives and support water quality improvement projects.
✔OCWA’s Water System chemists continuously monitor Otisco Lake conditions before treatment. From June through October, weekly samples are tested for microcystin; year-round testing also measures pH, turbidity, phosphorus, nitrogen, chlorides, and other water quality indicators.
✔Watershed surveys are completed each year for all residential, commercial, and agricultural properties in the Otisco Lake watershed to gather information that could potentially impact water quality.
✔Dye testing is completed on lake front properties every year to determine if septic systems may be failing. Each property is tested every three years.
✔OCWA has partnered with the Onondaga County Department of Health, Onondaga County Soil and Water Conservation District (OCSWCD), Otisco Lake Preservation Association, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and Syracuse University to provide educational training on septic system maintenance. OCWA also helped to establish and currently sponsors a maintenance reimbursement program to further protect septic systems from premature failure.
✔OCWA supports and partners with OCSWCD to implement agricultural best management projects within the watershed, including providing funding for cover crops which reduce soil erosion and runoff into the lake.
✔OCWA employs a full-time Watershed Program Manager to oversee all its watershed protection programs.
✔OCWA proudly partners with local stakeholder groups on watershed protection plans such as the Otisco Lake Management Plan and the Drinking Water Source Protection Plan. These plans help identify action items and funding for implementation projects.

OCWA is committed to protecting Otisco Lake and continuing to fulfill our mission to provide safe and reliable water to residents and businesses in Central New York!

08/27/2026

Throwback Thursday + Water Quality Month!

To celebrate the final week of Water Quality Month, we're looking back at one of last year's Welcome to Your Water System videos.

In this episode, OCWA's Director of Technical Services, Andrew Weiss, is on location at the Otisco Lake Water Treatment Plan. He explains how this efficient plant delivers high quality and great tasting water to our customers.

It takes dedicated people, careful treatment processes, and a commitment to quality every day!

OCWA's Otisco Lake Water Treatment Plant has been in service since ...

08/21/2026

A huge thank you to our summer aides for bringing their enthusiasm, energy, and hard work to the OCWA team. We have enjoyed having you with us and appreciate everything you have contributed. We wish you all the best as you head into your next adventure!

Interested in joining OCWA's Summer Aide Program next year? Applicants must be at least 18, enrolled in college, and have a drivers license. Apply on our website in March 2027! https://www.ocwa.org/employment/

08/19/2026

We're proud to recognize an OCWA employee who recently went above and beyond their normal responsibilities to help a customer. Thank you for going the extra mile and putting our customers first!

08/14/2026

OCWA—Central New York’s Water Authority—uses an alert system to notify customers about time-sensitive issues, including water outages. If you’re an OCWA customer, sign up today to receive alerts by text, email, and/or voice message.

Visit https://www.ocwa.org/alerts/ for more information. You can sign up through our website or text OCWACNY to 36475.

08/11/2026

Before you dig, know what's below! Call 811 or visit UDigNY.org a least a few business days before starting any digging project.

Whether you're planting a tree, installing a fence, putting in a mailbox, or tackling a bigger project, contacting 811 helps identify underground utility lines and keeps you, your neighbors, and our community safe.

Protect your water service. Protect your community. Protect yourself.

Call 811 before you dig--every time!

08/07/2026

August is Water Quality Month!

Providing safe, high-quality drinking water is our top priority, and it's a responsibility we take seriously every day. From source to tap, countless steps are taken to deliver clean, safe, and reliable drinking water you can trust.

At OCWA - Central New York's Water Authority:

💧We use a combination of internal and external laboratories to conduct over 20,500 tests during a typical year.

💧We follow rigorous standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the New York State Department of Health.

💧We invest in infrastructure to maintain safety, efficiency, and reliability.

To learn more about the steps we take to maintain water quality throughout our system, review OCWA's 2025 Consumer Confidence Report (also known as the Annual Water Quality Report). You can access the full report on our website at https://www.ocwa.org/2025-annual-water-quality-report/.

07/31/2026

We’re a day late, but we didn’t want to miss the chance to celebrate Intern Day and recognize our hard-working summer aides.

At OCWA, more than 20 students are working across several departments and locations, learning about the water industry, supporting our team, and gaining valuable experience.

We’re grateful to have them with us and appreciate everything they do!