Is Quincy, MA tap water safe?
Supplied by Quincy Water Dept. (MWRA) · serves 106,000 people (23,750 connections) · Purchased surface water · EPA ID MA3243000
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Buys water from Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA). Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
Summary
Lead above the action level.
Is it an emergency? No: these findings are about longer-term exposure, and nothing in EPA's data calls for you to stop drinking the water today. If your utility ever issues a boil-water or do-not-drink notice, follow it.
- PFAS
- Not detectedNone of 29 PFAS found above EPA's reporting limits in 4 samples (2023–2025).
- Lead
- Above action level21 ppb (parts per billion) at the 90th percentile: 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below it. Action level 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in Nov 2027. Monitoring period Jan 2026 – now, still in progress (results reported so far). Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- None health-basedNo health-based violations since 2016.
- Lead was above the action level in some homes sampled. Built before 1986, or not sure what your service line is made of? Check your service line and test your tap. Utility data can't show your pipes.
- Want to reduce what was found? Filters for these results.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read Quincy Water Dept. (MWRA)'s annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report). It lists every regulated contaminant tested and is usually on the utility's website or mailed with your bill, and you can also request it at (617) 376-1910. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 1 entry point tested Jan 2024 to Oct 2024. "Average" is the highest entry-point average (non-detects counted as zero), the way EPA compares UCMR 5 results to the limits. ppt = parts per trillion. These results do not determine compliance.
| Contaminant | Highest average |
|---|---|
| PFOA Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFOS Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFHxS Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| PFNA Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Not detected Limit 1 | – |
| PFBS Not detected Guideline 2,000 ppt | – |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Not detected Guideline 3,000 ppt | – |
29 PFAS tested, 0 detected at least once. "Not detected" means below EPA's reporting limit (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical), not proven zero. PFAS not listed were not detected. The limits for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and the Hazard Index were proposed for rescission in May 2026. That proposal is not final. Systems have until 2029 to meet the limits.
Lithium
Not detected in 4 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 21 ppb lead (Jan 2026 – now (in progress)). Above action level
Highest since 2016: 82.1 ppb (Dec 2017).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2026 – now (in progress) | 21 ppb |
| Jan 2025 – Dec 2025 | 8.74 ppb |
| Jul 2024 – Dec 2024 | 10 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2024 – Jun 2024 | 13.2 ppb |
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2023 | 18.5 ppb |
| Jan 2022 – Dec 2022 | 8.17 ppb |
| Jul 2021 – Dec 2021 | 14.4 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Jun 2021 | 5.67 ppb |
| Jul 2020 – Dec 2020 | 8.29 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Jun 2020 | 16.5 ppb |
| Jul 2019 – Dec 2019 | 17.4 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Jun 2019 | 13.9 ppb |
Lead comes from pipes and fixtures, not the source water, so it varies home to home. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 sampled homes were at or below it. More on lead.
Violations
Health-based violations mean a contaminant exceeded a limit or a required treatment step was missed. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or reports were late or missing, so the water's quality during that time is unknown. The total includes every violation in EPA's records, most of them paperwork.
Earlier EPA testing (2013–2020)
Where it serves
Quincy
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 02169, 02170, 02171, 02269
Nearby utilities
- Braintree Water and Sewer Dept. Braintree Town · 4 mi · PFAS above limit
- Tri Town Water Board Braintree Town · 4 mi
- Weymouth Water Department Weymouth Town · 5 mi
- Boston Water and Sewer Commission (MWRA) Boston · 5 mi
- Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) Boston · 5 mi
- Randolph Water Department Randolph Town · 6 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Quincy tap water safe to drink?
Most of Quincy gets its water from Quincy Water Dept. (MWRA). Quincy Water Dept. (MWRA) has no health-based violations since 2016. EPA testing found no PFAS above the federal limits. Federal data can't tell you about your own pipes: lead comes from service lines and plumbing, so test your tap if your home was built before 1986. For the official word, read the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Does Quincy water have PFAS?
EPA tested Quincy Water Dept. (MWRA) for 29 PFAS between Jan 2024 and Oct 2024 and none were detected above the reporting limits (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical).
What is the lead level in Quincy water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Quincy Water Dept. (MWRA) is 21 ppb, for the monitoring period that began Jan 2026 (still in progress). The federal action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in November 2027. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below this number. Individual homes can be higher.
Check these numbers yourself
Every figure on this page comes from public EPA records. You don't have to take our word for it:
- EPA's own report for MA3243000: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID MA3243000).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Quincy Water Dept. (MWRA) at (617) 376-1910, or see EPA's guide to finding it.
Found something that doesn't match? Tell us and we'll check it against EPA's records. How we check our data.
Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.