Upper Cape Regional Water Cooperative water quality
Sandwich, MA · serves 56,250 people (6 connections) · Groundwater · Local government · EPA ID MA4261024
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Not detectedNone of 29 PFAS found above EPA's reporting limits in 6 samples (2023–2025).
- Lead
- No resultsNo lead and copper results in EPA's national database.
- Violations
- None health-basedNo health-based violations since 2016.
- 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 Upper Cape Regional Water Cooperative'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) 888-2775. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 3 entry points tested Dec 2024 to Dec 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 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 6 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
No lead and copper results reported to EPA's national database for this system.
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)
| Contaminant | Highest | Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Manganese | 0.46 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.032 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chromium-6 | 0.29 ppb | – |
Where it serves
Sandwich
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 02532, 02534, 02536, 02537, 02540, 02542, 02543, 02553, 02556, 02559, 02561, 02563, 02574, 02644, 02649
Nearby utilities
- Barnstable Fire District Barnstable Town · 8 mi · PFAS above limit
- Centerville Osterville Marstons Mills Water District Barnstable Town · 8 mi · PFAS above limit
- Falmouth Water Dept Falmouth · 10 mi
- Onset Fire Districtwater Dept. Wareham · 12 mi · PFAS above limit
- Dennis Water District Dennis · 17 mi
- Middleborough Water Supply Middleborough · 23 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Upper Cape Regional Water Cooperative water safe to drink?
Upper Cape Regional Water Cooperative 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 Upper Cape Regional Water Cooperative water have PFAS?
EPA tested Upper Cape Regional Water Cooperative for 29 PFAS between Dec 2024 and Dec 2025 and none were detected above the reporting limits (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical).
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 MA4261024: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID MA4261024).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Upper Cape Regional Water Cooperative at (508) 888-2775, 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.