Is Marshfield, MA tap water safe?
Supplied by Marshfield Water Department · serves 34,000 people (11,000 connections) · Groundwater · EPA ID MA4171000
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Buys water from Duxbury Water Department. 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 limitPFOA above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOA 6.9 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lithium
- Above screening levelHighest result 19.3 ppb. EPA uses 10 ppb to decide what to study further. It is not a health limit, and there is no federal limit for lithium. About 1 in 4 systems tested were above it.
- Lead
- Below action level4 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 2024. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved1 health-based violation since 2016, most recently Aug 2019. One required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Aug 2019. What to do if you get a notice.
- 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.
- Got a boil-water or do-not-drink notice? What each notice means and what to do.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read Marshfield Water Department'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 (781) 834-5589. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 16 entry points tested Mar 2024 to Mar 2025. "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 Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 6.9 ppt 1.72× the limit |
| PFOS One sample above limit Limit 4 ppt | 2.3 ppt 57% of 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 | 0.0019 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 3.8 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 5.85 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 11.1 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 14 ppt |
| PFHpA Detected, no limit | 3.1 ppt |
For context: the PFOA average is higher than at 91% 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
Detected in 1 of 32 samples. Highest result 19.3 ppb. EPA's non-enforceable screening level is 10 ppb. Above screening level The screening level is how EPA decides what to study further, not a health limit. There is no federal limit for lithium and no filter is certified to remove it. About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 4 ppb lead (Jan 2022 – Dec 2024). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 5 ppb (Dec 2021).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2022 – Dec 2024 | 4 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2021 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2016 – Dec 2018 | 5 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2015 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2010 – Dec 2012 | 3 ppb |
| Jul 2009 – Dec 2009 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2009 – Jun 2009 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2006 – Dec 2008 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 1999 – Dec 2001 | 7 ppb |
| Jul 1997 – Jun 2000 | 6 ppb |
| Jul 1996 – Jun 1997 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 1995 – Dec 1995 | 7 ppb |
Copper 90th percentile: 1.35 ppm (Dec 2008), action level 1,300 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 2019 | E. coli was confirmed in the water. E. coli means the water may have been contaminated with sewage or animal waste. Urgent public notice required What that means EPA record: Revised Total Coliform Rule · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, E. coli (RTCR) Resolved |
1 unresolved monitoring or reporting violation: Consumer Confidence Rule.
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 | 199 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.2 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chromium-6 | 0.71 ppb | – |
| Vanadium | 0.4 ppb | 21 ppb |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.19 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
| Chlorate | 24 ppb | 210 ppb |
Where it serves
Marshfield
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 02020, 02041, 02047, 02050, 02051, 02059, 02065
Nearby utilities
- Duxbury Water Department Duxbury · 5 mi · PFAS above limit
- Scituate Water Division Scituate · 6 mi · PFAS above limit
- Norwell Water Department Norwell · 7 mi · PFAS above limit
- Hanover Water Dept Hanover · 7 mi · PFAS above limit
- Hanson Water Department Hanson · 9 mi · PFAS above limit
- Halifax Water Department Halifax · 11 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Marshfield tap water safe to drink?
Most of Marshfield gets its water from Marshfield Water Department. Marshfield Water Department had 1 health-based violation 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 Marshfield water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Marshfield Water Department found 7 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA: PFOA 6.9 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Marshfield water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Marshfield Water Department is 4 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2024. 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 MA4171000: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID MA4171000).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Marshfield Water Department at (781) 834-5589, 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.