Search city, ZIP, contaminant⌘KFind my water
Updated 2026-10-15
County water report

Worcester County Water Quality: 13 Cities Ranked by the Records

Worcester 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 Worcester 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 13 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest7.5 ng/L
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)Detected in 7 systems of 13 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest7.1 ng/L
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)Detected in 1 system80 ppb federal MCL · US EPAHighest63 ppb
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)Detected in 1 system60 ppb federal MCL · US EPAHighest41 ppb
Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)Detected in 1 system of 13 tested10 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest3.4 ng/L
Lead (90th percentile)Detected in 11 systems of 13 tested15 µg/L federal action level · US EPAHighest5 µg/L
CopperDetected in 1 system1.3 mg/L (action level) · US EPAHighest0.095 mg/L
NitrateDetected in 1 system10 mg/L · US EPAHighest0.291 mg/L
6 more contaminants detectedShow
FluorideDetected in 1 system4.0 mg/L · US EPAHighest0.1 mg/L
Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)Detected in 5 systems of 13 tested2,000 ng/L EPA health advisory (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest4.3 ng/L
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)Detected in 5 systems of 13 tested400,000 ng/L Michigan EGLE state MCL (strictest US state) · Michigan EGLEHighest5.5 ng/L
Water hardnessDetected in 1 systemAesthetic, no federal health limit · USGSHighest1.8 gpg
Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)Detected in 2 systems of 13 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest16.2 ng/L
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)Detected in 6 systems of 13 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest6.7 ng/L
23 substances tested, none detected in any systemShow

Tested in these 13 systems: ATHOL DPW WATER DIVISION, CLINTON WATER DEPT, FITCHBURG DPW DIVISION OF WATER SUPPLY, GARDNER WATER DEPARTMENT, HOLDEN WATER DIVISION, DPW, LEOMINSTER WATER DIVISION, MILFORD WATER DEPARTMENT, SHREWSBURY WATER DEPARTMENT, SOUTHBRIDGE WATER DEPARTMENT, UXBRIDGE DPW, WATER DIVISION, WEBSTER WATER DEPARTMENT, WESTBOROUGH WATER DEPARTMENT, WORCESTER DPWP, WATER SUPPLY 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)
  • Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)
  • 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 Worcester County8 of 13 city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit
  1. Westborough7.5 ng/L
  2. Uxbridge6.7 ng/L
  3. Milford6.6 ng/L
  4. Shrewsbury5.6 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
Hard water

1city reports hardness · Worcester, 1.8 gpg

None above 7 gpg, the USGS threshold for hard water. An aesthetic measure with no federal health limit.

Hard water explained
Who supplies the county

Largest water systems

  1. WorcesterWORCESTER DPWP, WATER SUPPLY DIVISION · MA2348000
    206,518 served
  2. FitchburgFITCHBURG DPW DIVISION OF WATER SUPPLY · MA2097000
    41,946 served
  3. LeominsterLEOMINSTER WATER DIVISION · MA2153000
    41,683 served
  4. ShrewsburySHREWSBURY WATER DEPARTMENT · MA2271000
    38,325 served
  5. MilfordMILFORD WATER DEPARTMENT · MA2185000
    30,379 served
  6. WestboroughWESTBOROUGH WATER DEPARTMENT · MA2328000
    21,567 served
  7. GardnerGARDNER WATER DEPARTMENT · MA2103000
    21,381 served
  8. SouthbridgeSOUTHBRIDGE WATER DEPARTMENT · MA2278000
    19,562 served
  9. HoldenHOLDEN WATER DIVISION, DPW · MA2134000
    18,016 served
  10. WebsterWEBSTER WATER DEPARTMENT · MA2316000
    17,776 served
Questions

Frequently asked

How does Worcester County tap water compare across cities?

PurityMap ranks 13 cities in Worcester 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 Southbridge's main water system: SOUTHBRIDGE WATER DEPARTMENT · PWSID MA2278000 · 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 Worcester County cities had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit?

8 of 13 Worcester County city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Westborough (PFOS 7.5 ng/L), Milford (PFOA 7.1 ng/L), Uxbridge (PFOS 6.7 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 10.

Is there lead in Worcester County tap water?

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 11 of 13 Worcester 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.

Does Worcester County have hard water?

Hardness is published in utility water-quality reports for 1 Worcester County city on record; the hardest is Worcester at 1.8 grains per gallon. Hardness affects scale and appliances; it is not a health finding.

Next step

Follow Worcester County's water

Get an email when a city record in the county changes. Or go straight to the filters certified for what was found here.

Filters certified for PFAS
FOLLOW THIS COUNTY

Record changes only

We email when places in Worcester County get new results. Unsubscribe any time.

Follow Worcester County's water →