Hampshire County Water Quality: 4 Cities Ranked by the Records
Hampshire County, Massachusetts: 4 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.
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)Detected in 1 system of 4 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest7.1 ng/L
- WARE WATER DEPT7.1 ng/LSample date: 2025-03-04 to 2025-09-10
- AMHERST DPW WATER DIVISIONNot detected · below 4.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-08-14 to 2024-06-12
- EASTHAMPTON WATER DEPTNot detected · below 4.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2024-06-06 to 2025-01-10
- NORTHAMPTON WATER DIVISIONNot detected · below 4.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-12-06 to 2024-09-04
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)Detected in 1 system of 4 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest4.9 ng/L
- WARE WATER DEPT4.9 ng/LSample date: 2025-03-04 to 2025-09-10
- AMHERST DPW WATER DIVISIONNot detected · below 4.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-08-14 to 2024-06-12
- EASTHAMPTON WATER DEPTNot detected · below 4.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2024-06-06 to 2025-01-10
- NORTHAMPTON WATER DIVISIONNot detected · below 4.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-12-06 to 2024-09-04
Lead (90th percentile)Detected in 4 systems15 µg/L federal action level · US EPAHighest8 µg/L
- AMHERST DPW WATER DIVISION8 µg/LMonitoring period: 2025–2025
- WARE WATER DEPT4.7 µg/LMonitoring period: 2021–2023
- NORTHAMPTON WATER DIVISION2.6 µg/LMonitoring period: 2022–2024
- EASTHAMPTON WATER DEPT2.5 µg/LMonitoring period: 2023–2023
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)Detected in 1 system of 4 tested400,000 ng/L Michigan EGLE state MCL (strictest US state) · Michigan EGLEHighest4.8 ng/L
- WARE WATER DEPT4.8 ng/LSample date: 2025-03-04 to 2025-09-10
- AMHERST DPW WATER DIVISIONNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-08-14 to 2024-06-12
- EASTHAMPTON WATER DEPTNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2024-06-06 to 2025-01-10
- NORTHAMPTON WATER DIVISIONNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-12-06 to 2024-09-04
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)Detected in 1 system of 4 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest4.7 ng/L
- WARE WATER DEPT4.7 ng/LSample date: 2025-03-04 to 2025-09-10
- AMHERST DPW WATER DIVISIONNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-08-14 to 2024-06-12
- EASTHAMPTON WATER DEPTNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2024-06-06 to 2025-01-10
- NORTHAMPTON WATER DIVISIONNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-12-06 to 2024-09-04
26 substances tested, none detected in any systemShow
Tested in these 4 systems: AMHERST DPW WATER DIVISION, EASTHAMPTON WATER DEPT, NORTHAMPTON WATER DIVISION, WARE 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)
- 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)
- Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)
- Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)
- Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA)
- Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA)
- Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS)
- Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)
- Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)
- Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
- Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS)
- 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 4 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
- AmherstAMHERST DPW WATER DIVISION · MA100800039,263 served
- NorthamptonNORTHAMPTON WATER DIVISION · MA121400029,571 served
- EasthamptonEASTHAMPTON WATER DEPT · MA108700016,211 served
- WareWARE WATER DEPT · MA130900010,066 served
Frequently asked
How does Hampshire County tap water compare across cities?
PurityMap ranks 4 cities in Hampshire 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 Northampton's main water system: NORTHAMPTON WATER DIVISION · PWSID MA1214000 · Purity Score 97 (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 Hampshire County cities had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit?
1 of 4 Hampshire County city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Ware (PFOS 7.1 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 Hampshire County tap water?
Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 4 of 4 Hampshire 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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