Berkshire County Water Quality: 2 Cities Ranked by the Records
Berkshire County, Massachusetts: 2 city reports built from EPA and utility records. A county has many suppliers; each city shows the system that serves it.
Highest result for each contaminant
One row per contaminant: the highest result any system in the county reported, against its limit. Open a row for the systems behind it.
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)Detected in 1 system of 2 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest5.9 ng/L
- NORTH ADAMS WATER DEPT5.9 ng/LSample date: 2023-05-18 to 2024-04-03
- PITTSFIELD DPU WATER DEPTNot detected · below 4.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-12-20 to 2026-01-12
LithiumDetected in 1 system of 2 tested10 µg/L EPA health reference level (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest10.2 µg/L
- PITTSFIELD DPU WATER DEPT10.2 µg/LSample date: 2023-11-20 to 2024-08-12
- NORTH ADAMS WATER DEPTNot detected · below 9.0 µg/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-05-18 to 2024-02-22
Lead (90th percentile)Detected in 1 system of 2 tested15 µg/L federal action level · US EPAHighest1.7 µg/L
- PITTSFIELD DPU WATER DEPT1.7 µg/LMonitoring period: 2023–2023
- NORTH ADAMS WATER DEPTNot detectedMonitoring period: 2025–2025
28 PFAS tested, none detected in any systemShow
Tested in these 2 systems: NORTH ADAMS WATER DEPT, PITTSFIELD DPU WATER DEPT
- 11-Chloroeicosafluoro-3-oxaundecane-1-sulfonic acid (11Cl-PF3OUdS)
- 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecane sulfonic acid (8:2 FTS)
- 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (4:2 FTS)
- 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (6:2 FTS)
- 4,8-Dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoic acid (ADONA)
- 9-Chlorohexadecafluoro-3-oxanone-1-sulfonic acid (9Cl-PF3ONS)
- Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) (GenX chemicals)
- N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NEtFOSAA)
- N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NMeFOSAA)
- Nonafluoro-3,6-dioxaheptanoic acid (NFDHA)
- Perfluoro (2-ethoxyethane) sulfonic acid (PFEESA)
- Perfluoro-3-methoxypropanoic acid (PFMPA)
- Perfluoro-4-methoxybutanoic acid (PFMBA)
- Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)
- Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)
- Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA)
- Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA)
- Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS)
- Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)
- Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)
- Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)
- Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
- Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)
- Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS)
- Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)
- Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA)
- Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA)
- Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA)
Cities ranked by the records
Ranked by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, highest first. Scores belong to water systems; there is no county score. The score is computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record, so this ranks the record, not which city's water is safest. How the score works.
0of 2 cities above the 15 µg/L action level
Based on each system's 90th-percentile result. Lead from household plumbing isn't in this record.
Lead in MassachusettsLargest water systems
- PittsfieldPITTSFIELD DPU WATER DEPT · MA123600043,927 served
- North AdamsNORTH ADAMS WATER DEPT · MA120900013,000 served
Frequently asked
How does Berkshire County tap water compare across cities?
PurityMap ranks 2 cities in Berkshire County by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record. Scores belong to water systems, not to cities. The highest published score is Pittsfield's main water system: PITTSFIELD DPU WATER DEPT · PWSID MA1236000 · Purity Score 98 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level. The ranking compares the records, not which city's water is safest, and your own tap can differ with household plumbing.
How many Berkshire County cities had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit?
1 of 2 Berkshire County city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including North Adams (PFOA 5.9 ng/L). That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it, so a single sample is not a violation. PFAS were detected at any level in 1.
Is there lead in Berkshire County tap water?
Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 1 of 2 Berkshire County cities reported a value above zero, and none was above the 15 µg/L federal action level. Lead usually comes from a building's own pipes and fixtures, so only a test at your tap tells you what you drink.
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