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Updated 2026-09-16
State water report

Massachusetts Water Quality: 163 Cities Ranked by the Records

Water quality across 163 cities in Massachusetts, drawn from EPA drinking-water records. Each city page shows the measured contaminants and a reproducible Purity Score.

Finding by finding

What Massachusetts's records show

Counts of cities whose serving system reported each result. There is no statewide score: PurityMap does not average local records into a statewide safety verdict. 10 cities have a past health-based violation on record.

PFAS above a 2024 limit

MCL

69of 163 cities

Cities whose system reported a PFAS above its federal limit.

PFOS in Massachusetts →

Nitrate above the MCL

MCL

0of 163 cities

Cities whose system reported nitrate above 10 mg/L.

About nitrate →

Hard or very hard

No federal limit

0of 163 cities

Above 120 mg/L as CaCO₃ (7 gpg) on the USGS scale, of 1 cities with a hardness value.

About hard water →
City rankings

Massachusetts cities ranked by the records

Highest first. A summary of each serving system’s record, not a safety verdict.

  1. 1
    LawrenceLAWRENCE WATER WORKS · MA3149000
    Report →
  2. 2
    Dennis DistrictDENNIS WATER DISTRICT · MA4075000
    Report →
  3. 3
    HaverhillHAVERHILL WATER DEPT · MA3128000
    Report →
  4. 4
    Upper Cape CooperativeUPPER CAPE REGIONAL WATER COOPERATIVE · MA4261024
    Report →
  5. 5
    HarwichHARWICH WATER DEPARTMENT · MA4126000
    Report →
  6. 6
    Hyannis Town BarnstableHYANNIS WATER SYSTEM, TOWN OF BARNSTABLE · MA4020004
    Report →
  7. 7
    Mattapoisett River Valley W DMATTAPOISETT RIVER VALLEY W.D. · MA4173001
    Report →
  8. 8
    Sandwich DistrictSANDWICH WATER DISTRICT · MA4261000
    Report →
  9. 9
    OrleansORLEANS WATER DEPARTMENT · MA4224000
    Report →
  10. 10
    ClintonCLINTON WATER DEPT · MA2064000
    Report →

Showing the top 10 of 163 scored cities.

See all 163 in the table

163 cities, highest Purity Score first

  1. 1Lawrence
    LAWRENCE WATER WORKS · PWSID MA3149000 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFAS detected, none above a limitDetected
  2. 2Dennis District
    DENNIS WATER DISTRICT · PWSID MA4075000 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFAS detected, none above a limitDetected
  3. 3Haverhill
    HAVERHILL WATER DEPT · PWSID MA3128000 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  4. 4Upper Cape Cooperative
    UPPER CAPE REGIONAL WATER COOPERATIVE · PWSID MA4261024 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: low · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  5. 5Harwich
    HARWICH WATER DEPARTMENT · PWSID MA4126000 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  6. 6Hyannis Town Barnstable
    HYANNIS WATER SYSTEM, TOWN OF BARNSTABLE · PWSID MA4020004 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFAS detected, none above a limitDetected
  7. 7Mattapoisett River Valley W D
    MATTAPOISETT RIVER VALLEY W.D. · PWSID MA4173001 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: low · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  8. 8Sandwich District
    SANDWICH WATER DISTRICT · PWSID MA4261000 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  9. 9Orleans
    ORLEANS WATER DEPARTMENT · PWSID MA4224000 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  10. 10Clinton
    CLINTON WATER DEPT · PWSID MA2064000 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  11. 11Whitman
    WHITMAN WATER SYSTEM · PWSID MA4338000 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFAS detected, none above a limitDetected
  12. 12Ash/Win Joint
    ASH/WIN JOINT WATER AUTHORITY · PWSID MA2011004 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: low · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
Showing 12 of 163.

Ranked by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, highest first. Scores belong to water systems; there is no state 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. See how Massachusetts compares with other states.

By contaminant

PFAS, lead and hard water in Massachusetts

Counties

Massachusetts counties

12 counties with city reports
Show all 12 counties
Suppliers

Largest water systems

All water systems →
Full indexAll 163 Massachusetts city reports, A–Z
Next step

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Questions

Massachusetts water, frequently asked

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How does Massachusetts tap water compare across cities?

PurityMap ranks 163 cities in Massachusetts 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 Lawrence's main water system: LAWRENCE WATER WORKS · PWSID MA3149000 · 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 Massachusetts cities have PFAS above the federal limit?

69 cities of 163 had at least one regulated PFAS (PFOA, PFOS or PFHxS) measured above the 2024 federal limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Raynham Center District (PFOA 92 ng/L), Dartmouth (PFOS 50.6 ng/L), Natick (PFOS 37.3 ng/L). PFAS were detected at any level in 93.

Is there lead in Massachusetts tap water?

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 139 of 163 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts water systems had drinking-water violations?

10 cities in Massachusetts 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.

Does Massachusetts have hard water?

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

Limits, sources and corrections

A statewide page cannot tell you what reaches a specific address. Water quality varies by supplier, sampling period and household plumbing; open a city report for the evidence behind a local result.

Sources: EPA UCMR 5 (PFAS, 2024), SDWIS Lead and Copper Rule 90th-percentile results and health-based violations, and utility Consumer Confidence Reports where on file. Every city report links its dated source records.

Updated 2026-09-16. How PurityMap analyzes water data · Report an error