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Updated 2026-10-15
County water report

Plymouth County Water Quality: 13 Cities Ranked by the Records

Plymouth County, Massachusetts: 13 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 Plymouth 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 7 systems of 13 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest35 ng/L
Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)Detected in 3 systems of 13 tested10 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest31 ng/L
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)Detected in 8 systems of 13 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest12 ng/L
LithiumDetected in 3 systems of 13 tested10 µg/L EPA health reference level (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest19.3 µg/L
Lead (90th percentile)Detected in 12 systems of 13 tested15 µg/L federal action level · US EPAHighest4.4 µg/L
Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)Detected in 9 systems of 13 tested2,000 ng/L EPA health advisory (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest7.7 ng/L
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)Detected in 10 systems of 13 tested400,000 ng/L Michigan EGLE state MCL (strictest US state) · Michigan EGLEHighest30.7 ng/L
1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (6:2 FTS)Detected in 1 system of 13 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest5.7 ng/L
4 more contaminants detectedShow
Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)Detected in 6 systems of 13 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest25 ng/L
Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS)Detected in 1 system of 13 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest3.3 ng/L
Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)Detected in 6 systems of 13 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest10.6 ng/L
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)Detected in 10 systems of 13 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest46.6 ng/L
19 PFAS tested, none detected in any systemShow

Tested in these 13 systems: ABINGTON/ROCKLAND JOINT WTR. WORKS, BRIDGEWATER WATER DEPARTMENT, BROCKTON WATER DEPARTMENT, DUXBURY WATER DEPARTMENT, EAST BRIDGEWATER WATER DEPT, HANOVER WATER DEPT, KINGSTON WATER DEPARTMENT, MARSHFIELD WATER DEPARTMENT, NORWELL WATER DEPARTMENT, PEMBROKE WATER DIVISION DPW, PLYMOUTH WATER DEPARTMENT, SCITUATE WATER DIVISION, WHITMAN WATER SYSTEM

  • 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)
  • 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)
  • Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA)
  • Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA)
  • Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
  • Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS)
  • Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA)
  • Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA)
  • Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA)
13 cities

Cities ranked by the records

Showing 6 of 13 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 Plymouth County8 of 13 city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit
  1. Duxbury35 ng/L
  2. Norwell18.4 ng/L
  3. Hanover11.4 ng/L
  4. Abington7 ng/L
  5. Bridgewater7 ng/L
  6. Scituate5.7 ng/L
  7. Marshfield4.6 ng/L
4.0 ng/L federal MCL · PFOS, ng/LPFAS in Massachusetts
Lead

0of 13 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. BrocktonBROCKTON WATER DEPARTMENT · MA4044000
    105,788 served
  2. PlymouthPLYMOUTH WATER DEPARTMENT · MA4239000
    47,100 served
  3. MarshfieldMARSHFIELD WATER DEPARTMENT · MA4171000
    34,000 served
  4. AbingtonABINGTON/ROCKLAND JOINT WTR. WORKS · MA4001000
    33,387 served
  5. BridgewaterBRIDGEWATER WATER DEPARTMENT · MA4042000
    28,633 served
  6. ScituateSCITUATE WATER DIVISION · MA4264000
    19,297 served
  7. PembrokePEMBROKE WATER DIVISION DPW · MA4231000
    18,175 served
  8. DuxburyDUXBURY WATER DEPARTMENT · MA4082000
    16,387 served
  9. HanoverHANOVER WATER DEPT · MA4122000
    14,984 served
  10. WhitmanWHITMAN WATER SYSTEM · MA4338000
    14,947 served
Questions

Frequently asked

How does Plymouth County tap water compare across cities?

PurityMap ranks 13 cities in Plymouth 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 Whitman's main water system: WHITMAN WATER SYSTEM · PWSID MA4338000 · Purity Score 100 (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 Plymouth County cities had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit?

8 of 13 Plymouth County city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Duxbury (PFOS 35 ng/L), Norwell (PFOS 18.4 ng/L), Abington (PFOA 12 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 11.

Is there lead in Plymouth County tap water?

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 12 of 13 Plymouth 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 Plymouth County water systems had drinking-water violations?

2 cities in Plymouth County have 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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