Tap Water Results

Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) water quality

Boston, MA · serves 2.6 million people (186 connections) · Surface water · State · EPA ID MA6000000

Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it

Summary

No limits exceeded in the data EPA has, but the record is incomplete: no federal PFAS results.

PFAS
No EPA resultsNo results for this system in EPA's 2023–2025 PFAS testing. Ask the utility or your state drinking water program whether it has tested.
Lead
Below action level5.9 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
None health-basedNo health-based violations since 2016.
What you can do

PFAS (“forever chemicals”)

No EPA results. No results for this system in EPA's 2023–2025 PFAS testing. Ask the utility or your state drinking water program whether it has tested. Your state may have its own PFAS sampling results.

Lead and copper

Latest 90th percentile: 5.9 ppb lead (Jan 2025 – Dec 2025). Below action level

Highest since 2016: 10.8 ppb (Dec 2023).

Monitoring periodLead (90th pct.)
Jan 2025 – Dec 20255.9 ppb
Jan 2024 – Dec 20246.9 ppb
Jan 2023 – Dec 202310.8 ppb
Earlier results (9)
Jan 2022 – Dec 20227.33 ppb
Jan 2021 – Dec 20218.56 ppb
Jan 2020 – Dec 20206.47 ppb
Jan 2019 – Dec 20197.97 ppb
Jan 2018 – Dec 20189.73 ppb
Jan 2017 – Dec 20178.6 ppb
Jan 2016 – Dec 20166.9 ppb
Jan 2015 – Dec 20156.2 ppb
Jan 2014 – Dec 20145.38 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

0
Health-based since 2016
0
Monitoring/reporting since 2016
0
Health-based unresolved now
4
Total ever recorded, incl. paperwork

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.

Where it serves

Boston

ZIP codes the system reported serving: 02128

Nearby utilities

Questions

Is Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) water safe to drink?

Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) has no health-based violations since 2016. There are no federal PFAS results for this system. 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 Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) water have PFAS?

Unknown from federal data. No results for this system in EPA's 2023–2025 PFAS testing. Ask the utility or your state drinking water program whether it has tested.

What is the lead level in Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) water?

The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) is 5.9 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:

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.