Is Dartmouth, MA tap water safe?
Supplied by Dartmouth Water Division · serves 24,696 people (9,547 connections) · Purchased surface water · EPA ID MA4072000
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Buys water from City of New Bedford Dept. of Public Infrastructure. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
Summary
PFAS above the 2024 federal limits. Systems have until 2029 to meet the PFAS limits.
Is it an emergency? No: PFAS limits are about years of exposure, not a glass of water, 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
- Above limitPFOS above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOS 25.3 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Below action level7 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 ending Dec 2025. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved12 health-based violations since 2016, most recently Aug 2026.
- Pregnant, or mixing baby formula with tap water? Babies drink more water for their size, so PFAS exposure matters more for them. Consider bottled water or a filter certified for PFAS for formula, and ask your doctor. Health effects.
- To lower your PFAS exposure now, a home filter certified for PFAS reduction works (reverse osmosis, or activated carbon certified to NSF/ANSI 53 or 58). Filters for these results.
- 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.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read Dartmouth Water Division'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 (508) 999-0742. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 4 entry points tested Mar 2024 to Dec 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 One sample above limit Limit 4 ppt | 2.1 ppt 52% of the limit |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 25.3 ppt 6.33× the limit |
| 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) Detected, below limit Limit 1 | 0.0073 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 14.6 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 4.7 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 3.8 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 5.9 ppt |
| PFHpA Detected, no limit | 1.5 ppt |
For context: the PFOS average is higher than at 98% of the Massachusetts systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 7 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 10 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 7 ppb lead (Jan 2025 – Dec 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 14 ppb (Dec 2024).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2025 – Dec 2025 | 7 ppb |
| Jan 2024 – Dec 2024 | 14 ppb |
| Jul 2023 – Dec 2023 | 3 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2023 – Jun 2023 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2022 – Jun 2022 | 8 ppb |
| Jul 2021 – Dec 2021 | 11 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Jun 2021 | 7 ppb |
| Jan 2018 – Dec 2020 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 2015 – Dec 2017 | 8 ppb |
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2014 | 15 ppb |
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2013 | 13 ppb |
| Jan 2012 – Dec 2012 | 13 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
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | After positive bacteria tests, the system did not complete the required check of what went wrong. EPA record: Revised Total Coliform Rule · Treatment Technique, Level 1 Assessment (RTCR) Resolved |
| Jan 2022 | The running annual average for Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) was above the legal limit. EPA record: Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average (limit 0.060 mg/L) Archived |
| Jul 2019 – Oct 2021 4 times | The running annual average for Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) was above the legal limit. EPA record: Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average (limit 0.060 mg/L) Resolved |
| Apr 2020 – Jul 2020 2 times | The running annual average for TTHM was above the legal limit. EPA record: TTHM · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average (limit 0.080 mg/L) Resolved |
| Dec 2019 | After repeated positive bacteria tests or E. coli, the system did not complete the required detailed investigation. EPA record: Revised Total Coliform Rule · Treatment Technique, Level 2 Assessment (RTCR) Resolved |
| Oct 2016 – Oct 2017 3 times | The running annual average for TTHM was above the legal limit. EPA record: TTHM · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average (limit 0.080 mg/L) Archived |
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)
| Contaminant | Highest | Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Manganese | 141 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Vanadium | 0.4 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.24 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 0.057 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chlorate | 340 ppb | 210 ppb |
Where it serves
Dartmouth
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 02747, 02748
Nearby utilities
- City of New Bedford Dept. of Public Infrastructure New Bedford · 7 mi
- Fall River Water Department Fall River · 13 mi
- Falmouth Water Dept Falmouth · 19 mi
- Onset Fire Districtwater Dept. Wareham · 19 mi · PFAS above limit
- Inima USA / Aquaria LLC Dighton · 21 mi
- Middleborough Water Supply Middleborough · 22 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Dartmouth tap water safe to drink?
Most of Dartmouth gets its water from Dartmouth Water Division. Dartmouth Water Division had 12 health-based violations since 2016, all since resolved. EPA testing found PFAS above the 2024 federal limits, which systems must meet by 2029. 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 Dartmouth water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Dartmouth Water Division found 7 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOS: PFOS 25.3 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Dartmouth water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Dartmouth Water Division is 7 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2025. 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 MA4072000: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID MA4072000).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Dartmouth Water Division at (508) 999-0742, 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.