Onset Fire Districtwater Dept. water quality
Wareham, MA · serves 5,392 people (2,982 connections) · Groundwater · Local government · EPA ID MA4310003
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
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 6.15 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Below action level3 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 2023. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved1 health-based violation since 2016, most recently May 2019. One required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently May 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 Onset Fire Districtwater 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) 295-0603. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 4 entry points tested Jun 2025 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 Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 6.15 ppt 1.54× 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) 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 | – |
For context: the PFOS average is higher than at 90% of the Massachusetts systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 1 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 8 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 3 ppb lead (Jan 2021 – Dec 2023). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 10 ppb (Dec 2019).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2023 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2020 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2019 | 10 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2016 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2013 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 4 ppb |
| Jan 2004 – Dec 2006 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Dec 2003 | 4 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2002 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2001 – Dec 2001 | 3 ppb |
| Jul 1996 – Jun 1997 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 1995 – Dec 1995 | 15 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 |
|---|---|
| May 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 |
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 | 61.4 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Vanadium | 1 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chlorate | 55 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.19 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 0.061 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
Where it serves
Wareham
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 02532, 02538, 02558, 02571
Nearby utilities
- Upper Cape Regional Water Cooperative Sandwich · 12 mi
- Middleborough Water Supply Middleborough · 12 mi · PFAS above limit
- Falmouth Water Dept Falmouth · 13 mi
- City of New Bedford Dept. of Public Infrastructure New Bedford · 14 mi
- Halifax Water Department Halifax · 19 mi · PFAS above limit
- Dartmouth Water Division Dartmouth · 19 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Onset Fire Districtwater Dept. water safe to drink?
Onset Fire Districtwater Dept. 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 Onset Fire Districtwater Dept. water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Onset Fire Districtwater Dept. found 1 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOS: PFOS 6.15 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Onset Fire Districtwater Dept. water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Onset Fire Districtwater Dept. is 3 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2023. 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 MA4310003: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID MA4310003).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Onset Fire Districtwater Dept. at (508) 295-0603, 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.