Massachusetts PFAS results from EPA's final data
Report published Nov 14, 2026 · EPA UCMR 5 final data file of Oct 15, 2026 (samples collected 2023–2025) · Method · National results →
75 Massachusetts water systems serving 1.3 million people had PFAS above a 2024 federal limit in EPA's final round of nationwide PFAS testing: 29% of the 261 Massachusetts systems tested, compared with 11% nationally.
Highest PFOA or PFOS averages in Massachusetts
- Raynham Center Water District Raynham · PFOA48.6 ppt
- Duxbury Water Department Duxbury · PFOS34.7 ppt
- Natick Water and Sewer Division Natick · PFOS32.2 ppt
- Dartmouth Water Division Dartmouth · PFOS25.3 ppt
- Norwell Water Department Norwell · PFOS12.9 ppt
- Acton Water Supply District Acton · PFOA11.5 ppt
- Abington/Rockland Joint Water Works Abington · PFOA11.5 ppt
- Sharon Water Dept Sharon · PFOS11.3 ppt
- Randolph Water Department Randolph Town · PFOS11 ppt
- Manchester-by-the-Sea Dept. of Public Works Manchester-by-the-Sea · PFOA10.8 ppt
- Hamilton Water Dept Hamilton · PFOS10.1 ppt
- Middleborough Water Supply Middleborough · PFOA9.5 ppt
- Holbrook Public Works Dept Holbrook · PFOS9.35 ppt
- Bridgewater Water Department Bridgewater Town · PFOA9 ppt
- Topsfield Water Department Topsfield · PFOA8.8 ppt
Chart data as a table
| System | ppt |
|---|---|
| Raynham Center Water District · Raynham · PFOA | 48.6 |
| Duxbury Water Department · Duxbury · PFOS | 34.7 |
| Natick Water and Sewer Division · Natick · PFOS | 32.2 |
| Dartmouth Water Division · Dartmouth · PFOS | 25.3 |
| Norwell Water Department · Norwell · PFOS | 12.9 |
| Acton Water Supply District · Acton · PFOA | 11.5 |
| Abington/Rockland Joint Water Works · Abington · PFOA | 11.5 |
| Sharon Water Dept · Sharon · PFOS | 11.3 |
| Randolph Water Department · Randolph Town · PFOS | 11 |
| Manchester-by-the-Sea Dept. of Public Works · Manchester-by-the-Sea · PFOA | 10.8 |
| Hamilton Water Dept · Hamilton · PFOS | 10.1 |
| Middleborough Water Supply · Middleborough · PFOA | 9.5 |
| Holbrook Public Works Dept · Holbrook · PFOS | 9.35 |
| Bridgewater Water Department · Bridgewater Town · PFOA | 9 |
| Topsfield Water Department · Topsfield · PFOA | 8.8 |
Largest systems above a limit
| # | System | People served |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peabody Water Dept. Peabody Above: PFOA | 54,481 |
| 2 | Centerville Osterville Marstons Mills Water District Barnstable Town Above: PFOA | 50,000 |
| 3 | Attleboro Water Dept Attleboro Above: PFOS | 46,461 |
| 4 | Dedham Westwood Water District Dedham Above: PFOA, PFOS | 41,630 |
| 5 | Woburn Water Dept. Woburn Above: PFOA, PFOS | 40,876 |
| 6 | Braintree Water and Sewer Dept. Braintree Town Above: PFOA, PFOS | 39,143 |
| 7 | Natick Water and Sewer Division Natick Above: PFOA, PFOS | 37,006 |
| 8 | Randolph Water Department Randolph Town Above: PFOA, PFOS | 35,114 |
| 9 | Marshfield Water Department Marshfield Above: PFOA | 34,000 |
| 10 | Franklin Water Department Franklin Town Above: PFOA | 33,706 |
All 75 Massachusetts systems above a limit
Every Massachusetts community water system whose UCMR 5 results averaged above a 2024 federal PFAS limit, largest first. Systems that were not tested are not listed: not tested is not the same as not detected.
Full list: 75 systems, largest first
| System | People served |
|---|---|
| Peabody Water Dept. Peabody Above: PFOA | 54,481 |
| Centerville Osterville Marstons Mills Water District Barnstable Town Above: PFOA | 50,000 |
| Attleboro Water Dept Attleboro Above: PFOS | 46,461 |
| Dedham Westwood Water District Dedham Above: PFOA, PFOS | 41,630 |
| Woburn Water Dept. Woburn Above: PFOA, PFOS | 40,876 |
| Braintree Water and Sewer Dept. Braintree Town Above: PFOA, PFOS | 39,143 |
| Natick Water and Sewer Division Natick Above: PFOA, PFOS | 37,006 |
| Randolph Water Department Randolph Town Above: PFOA, PFOS | 35,114 |
| Marshfield Water Department Marshfield Above: PFOA | 34,000 |
| Franklin Water Department Franklin Town Above: PFOA | 33,706 |
| Abington/Rockland Joint Water Works Abington Above: PFOA, PFOS | 33,387 |
| Needham Water Dept Needham Above: PFOA | 31,664 |
| North Attleboro Water Dept North Attleborough Town Above: PFOA, PFOS | 31,410 |
| Milford Water Department Milford Above: PFOA, PFOS | 30,379 |
| Wellesley Water Division Wellesley Above: PFOA, PFOS | 29,550 |
| Stoughton Water Department Stoughton Above: PFOA, PFOS | 29,281 |
| Chelmsford Water District Chelmsford Above: PFOA, PFOS | 28,750 |
| Bridgewater Water Department Bridgewater Town Above: PFOA, PFOS | 28,633 |
| Wakefield Water Dept Wakefield Above: PFOA | 27,090 |
| Dracut Water Supply District Dracut Above: PFOA | 25,808 |
| Easton Water Division Easton Above: PFOA, PFOS | 25,058 |
| Dartmouth Water Division Dartmouth Above: PFOS | 24,696 |
| Canton Water Dept Canton Above: PFOA | 22,766 |
| Acton Water Supply District Acton Above: PFOA, PFOS | 21,285 |
| Scituate Water Division Scituate Above: PFOA, PFOS | 19,297 |
| Norton Water Department Norton Above: PFOA | 19,161 |
| Concord Water Dept Concord Above: PFOA | 18,788 |
| Foxboro Water Department Foxborough Above: PFOA, PFOS | 18,721 |
| Sudbury Water District Sudbury Above: PFOA | 18,416 |
| Holden Water Division, Dept. of Public Works Holden Above: PFOA | 18,016 |
| Sharon Water Dept Sharon Above: PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, Hazard Index | 16,846 |
| Duxbury Water Department Duxbury Above: PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, Hazard Index | 16,387 |
| Middleborough Water Supply Middleborough Above: PFOA, PFOS | 15,350 |
| Holliston Water Department Holliston Above: PFOA, PFOS | 15,139 |
| Hanover Water Dept Hanover Above: PFOA, PFOS | 14,984 |
| East Bridgewater Water Dept East Bridgewater Above: PFOA | 14,526 |
| Medway Water Department Medway Above: PFOA | 14,176 |
| Wayland Water Department Wayland Above: PFOA | 14,096 |
| Seekonk Water District Seekonk Above: PFOS | 13,801 |
| Ipswich DPU Water Dept Ipswich Above: PFOA | 13,138 |
| Medfield Water Dept. Medfield Above: PFOA, PFOS | 12,713 |
| Hopkinton Water Department Hopkinton Above: PFOA | 12,680 |
| Auburn Water District Auburn Above: PFOA, PFOS | 12,255 |
| Uxbridge DPW, Water Division Uxbridge Above: PFOS | 11,612 |
| Norwell Water Department Norwell Above: PFOA, PFOS | 11,495 |
| Holbrook Public Works Dept Holbrook Above: PFOA, PFOS | 11,405 |
| Aquarion Water Company, Millbury Millbury Above: PFOA | 11,368 |
| Raynham Center Water District Raynham Above: PFOA | 10,964 |
| Grafton Water District Grafton Above: PFOA, PFOS | 10,925 |
| Maynard DPW, Water Division Maynard Above: PFOA | 10,746 |
| Ware Water Dept Ware Above: PFOS | 10,066 |
| Hanson Water Department Hanson Above: PFOA | 9,612 |
| Pepperell Dept. of Public Works Water Division Pepperell Above: PFOA, PFOS | 9,217 |
| Millis Water Dept Millis Above: PFOA, PFOS | 9,055 |
| Plainville Water Department Plainville Above: PFOS | 8,805 |
| Lynnfield Center Water District Lynnfield Above: PFOA | 8,525 |
| Hamilton Water Dept Hamilton Above: PFOA, PFOS | 7,674 |
| Norfolk Water Division Norfolk Above: PFOA | 7,602 |
| Halifax Water Department Halifax Above: PFOA | 7,575 |
| Cohasset Water Dept Cohasset Above: PFOA | 7,555 |
| Merrimac Water Department Merrimac Above: PFOA | 6,988 |
| Groveland Water Department Groveland Above: PFOA | 6,508 |
| Rowley Water Department Rowley Above: PFOA, PFOS | 6,161 |
| Templeton Municipal. Light and Water Plant Templeton Above: PFOA | 6,159 |
| Hopedale Water Department Hopedale Above: PFOA | 6,017 |
| Lincoln Water Dept Lincoln Above: PFOA, PFOS | 5,593 |
| Topsfield Water Department Topsfield Above: PFOA, PFOS | 5,435 |
| Barnstable Fire District Barnstable Town Above: PFOS | 5,400 |
| Onset Fire Districtwater Dept. Wareham Above: PFOS | 5,392 |
| Manchester-by-the-Sea Dept. of Public Works Manchester-by-the-Sea Above: PFOA | 5,201 |
| Town of Avon Avon Above: PFOA, PFOS | 4,777 |
| Shirley Water District Shirley Above: PFOA | 4,165 |
| Wenham Water Dept. Wenham Above: PFOA, PFOS | 3,942 |
| Boylston Water District Boylston Above: PFOA | 3,343 |
| Haystack Estates Water System Westford Above: PFOA | 60 |
The same list, with PFOA and PFOS averages, is in the data download.
Which limits were exceeded
| PFAS | Federal limit | Systems above it |
|---|---|---|
| PFOA 1.2 million people | 4 ppt | 67 |
| PFOS 805,106 people | 4 ppt | 42 |
| PFHxS 33,233 people | 10 ppt | 2 |
| PFNA | 10 ppt | 0 |
| GenX (HFPO-DA) | 10 ppt | 0 |
| Hazard Index 33,233 people | 1 | 2 |
"–" in the table above means not detected. A system can be above more than one limit. EPA proposed in May 2026 to rescind the PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and Hazard Index limits. That proposal is not final.
Data and how to cite it
- Download every Massachusetts water system as CSV (PFOA and PFOS averages, systems above a limit, lead, violations).
- EPA's source file: UCMR 5 occurrence data.
Suggested citation:
Tap Water Results, "Massachusetts PFAS results from EPA's final UCMR 5 data" (published Nov 14, 2026, EPA data file of Oct 15, 2026). https://tapwaterresults.com/pfas/massachusetts/
You're welcome to quote and republish these figures with a link back. Questions from reporters: see contact.
Method
For each system we average each entry point's UCMR 5 results (non-detects count as zero, complete sets of samples only) and compare the highest entry-point average with the 2024 federal limit, using EPA's rounding. This is how EPA compares UCMR 5 results to the limits in its own data summary, and our national counts match EPA's published table within 2% (how we check). Results are monitoring data from 2023–2025, not compliance determinations, and treatment installed since then is not reflected. Full method.
Questions
How many Massachusetts water systems have PFAS above the limit?
75 of the 261 Massachusetts community water systems EPA tested in 2023–2025 (29%) had at least one entry-point average above a 2024 federal PFAS limit. They serve 1.3 million people. Nationally the share is 11%.
Are these systems violating the law?
Not yet. Systems have until 2029 to meet the 2024 limits, and EPA has proposed moving the PFOA and PFOS deadline to 2031 and rescinding the other limits. EPA's UCMR 5 results are monitoring data and do not determine compliance.
Which systems were tested?
EPA's UCMR 5 tested every community water system serving more than 3,300 people and a representative sample of smaller ones. Systems that were not tested have no federal result, which is not the same as having no PFAS.
All Massachusetts water systems → · National results → · PFAS results for every state →
Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.