Is Falmouth, MA tap water safe?
Supplied by Falmouth Water Dept · serves 97,551 people (21,920 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID MA4096000
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Falmouth gets its water from Falmouth Water Dept. Parts of the city are served by a smaller system: Otis Air National Guard Base Water System (6,000 people). Your water bill names your system.
Buys water from Upper Cape Regional Water Cooperative, Mashpee Water District. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Not detectedNone of 29 PFAS found above EPA's reporting limits in 10 samples (2023–2025).
- Lead
- Below action level1.1 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
- Resolved4 health-based violations since 2016, most recently Aug 2020. One required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Aug 2020. What to do if you get a notice.
- 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.
- Got a boil-water or do-not-drink notice? What each notice means and what to do.
- 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 Falmouth Water Dept'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) 457-2543. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 4 entry points tested Sep 2023 to Nov 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 12 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 1.1 ppb lead (Jan 2025 – Dec 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 21 ppb (Dec 2017).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2025 – Dec 2025 | 1.1 ppb |
| Jan 2024 – Jun 2024 | 3.7 ppb |
| Jul 2023 – Dec 2023 | 1.6 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2023 – Jun 2023 | 2.2 ppb |
| Jul 2022 – Dec 2022 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2021 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Jun 2019 | 1 ppb |
| Jul 2018 – Dec 2018 | 1 ppb |
| Jan 2018 – Jun 2018 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2015 – Dec 2017 | 21 ppb |
| Jan 2012 – Dec 2014 | 10 ppb |
| Jan 2009 – Dec 2011 | 8 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 2020 | The water was too cloudy too often in a month. Cloudiness can shield germs from disinfection. Urgent public notice required What that means EPA record: Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule · Monthly Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) (limit ) Resolved |
| Jan 2016 – Jul 2016 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 | 3.48 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Vanadium | 0.35 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.033 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chromium-6 | 0.22 ppb | – |
| Chlorate | 330 ppb | 210 ppb |
Where it serves
Falmouth
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 02536, 02540, 02541, 02543, 02556, 02574
Nearby utilities
- Upper Cape Regional Water Cooperative Sandwich · 10 mi
- Onset Fire Districtwater Dept. Wareham · 13 mi · PFAS above limit
- Barnstable Fire District Barnstable Town · 13 mi · PFAS above limit
- Centerville Osterville Marstons Mills Water District Barnstable Town · 13 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of New Bedford Dept. of Public Infrastructure New Bedford · 18 mi
- Dartmouth Water Division Dartmouth · 19 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Falmouth tap water safe to drink?
Most of Falmouth gets its water from Falmouth Water Dept. Falmouth Water Dept had 4 health-based violations since 2016, all since resolved. 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 Falmouth water have PFAS?
EPA tested Falmouth Water Dept for 29 PFAS between Sep 2023 and Nov 2024 and none were detected above the reporting limits (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical).
What is the lead level in Falmouth water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Falmouth Water Dept is 1.1 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 MA4096000: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID MA4096000).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Falmouth Water Dept at (508) 457-2543, 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.