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Updated 2026-10-15
County water report

Bristol County Water Quality: 9 Cities Ranked by the Records

Bristol County, Massachusetts: 9 city reports built from EPA and utility records. A county has many suppliers; each city shows the system that serves it.

Find my systemOpen on the mapPrivate wells in Bristol County
Across the county's systems

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.

Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)Detected in 4 systems of 9 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest12 ng/L
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)Detected in 4 systems of 9 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest9 ng/L
Lead (90th percentile)Detected in 9 systems15 µg/L federal action level · US EPAHighest12 µg/L
Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)Detected in 4 systems of 9 tested10 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest6.4 ng/L
Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)Detected in 3 systems of 9 tested2,000 ng/L EPA health advisory (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest6 ng/L
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)Detected in 3 systems of 9 tested400,000 ng/L Michigan EGLE state MCL (strictest US state) · Michigan EGLEHighest9 ng/L
Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)Detected in 2 systems of 9 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest7 ng/L
Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)Detected in 2 systems of 9 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest6 ng/L
1 more contaminant detectedShow
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)Detected in 3 systems of 9 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest14 ng/L
22 substances tested, none detected in any systemShow

Tested in these 9 systems: ATTLEBORO WATER DEPT, CITY OF NEW BEDFORD DPI, FAIRHAVEN WATER DEPT, FALL RIVER WATER DEPARTMENT, MANSFIELD WATER DIVISION, NORTH ATTLEBORO WATER DEPT, NORTON WATER DEPARTMENT, SOMERSET WATER DEPARTMENT, TAUNTON WATER DIVISION

  • 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)
  • Lithium
  • 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)
  • Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA)
  • Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA)
  • Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS)
  • Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
  • Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS)
  • Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA)
  • Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA)
  • Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA)
9 cities

Cities ranked by the records

Showing 6 of 9 cities · scores are system-level, not tap tests

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.

PFAS in Bristol County4 of 9 city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit
  1. Attleboro12 ng/L
  2. North Attleborough8 ng/L
  3. Mansfield6.2 ng/L
  4. Norton4 ng/L
4.0 ng/L federal MCL · PFOS, ng/LPFAS in Massachusetts
Lead

0of 9 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 Massachusetts
Who supplies the county

Largest water systems

  1. New BedfordCITY OF NEW BEDFORD DPI · MA4201000
    101,079 served
  2. Fall RiverFALL RIVER WATER DEPARTMENT · MA4095000
    94,000 served
  3. TauntonTAUNTON WATER DIVISION · MA4293000
    62,165 served
  4. AttleboroATTLEBORO WATER DEPT · MA4016000
    46,461 served
  5. North AttleboroughNORTH ATTLEBORO WATER DEPT · MA4211000
    31,410 served
  6. MansfieldMANSFIELD WATER DIVISION · MA4167000
    21,797 served
  7. NortonNORTON WATER DEPARTMENT · MA4218000
    19,161 served
  8. SomersetSOMERSET WATER DEPARTMENT · MA4273000
    18,303 served
  9. FairhavenFAIRHAVEN WATER DEPT · MA4094000
    15,155 served
Questions

Frequently asked

How does Bristol County tap water compare across cities?

PurityMap ranks 9 cities in Bristol 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 Taunton's main water system: TAUNTON WATER DIVISION · PWSID MA4293000 · 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 Bristol County cities had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit?

4 of 9 Bristol County city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Attleboro (PFOS 12 ng/L), North Attleborough (PFOA 9 ng/L), Norton (PFOA 8.8 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 5.

Is there lead in Bristol County tap water?

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 9 of 9 Bristol 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.

Have Bristol County water systems had drinking-water violations?

1 city in Bristol County has a health-based violation in the federal SDWIS record within about the last ten years. Each city report lists the contaminant, year and whether it was resolved.

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