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Blackstone Water DepartmentWater quality report

Standards for what was found here

5358
Serves
9,463
Connections
2,797
Water source
Groundwater
Based in
Blackstone, MA
County
Worcester
Owner
Local government
The ZIP code it serves

01504

PWSID MA2032000 · EPA data

Read this first

  • Copper In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 5.0 ppm, above the 1.3 ppm action level.
  • PFOA was found in one of 2 samples, highest 5.7 ppt. Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.

No health-based violations on file since 2016.

What handles it

What was found, stop by stop

  • Below the health goal
  • Above the health goal
  • Above the legal limit
  • No federal data

  1. At the source

    EPA UCMR 5 sampled this utility for 29 PFAS and lithium from April 7, 2025 to Oct. 7, 2025. Each tick under a result’s line is one sample where it was found, dated when you point at it.

    NSF’s PFAS claims are tested to below 20 ppt. EPA’s limit is 4.0 ppt, and EPA says no certification yet shows a filter reaching its levels.

  2. PFOA

    Above the legal limit

    5.7ppt

    Highest of 2 samples; found in one

    Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.

    • NSF/ANSI 53 · Look for: PFOA ReductionSame claim, other certifiers’ wording: Total PFAS Reduction; Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)

    • NSF/ANSI 58 · Look for: Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)

  3. In treatment

    No federal results for this stop. Disinfection byproduct, chlorine and fluoride levels are in Blackstone Water Department’s own annual report, which it must send you every year.

  4. In the pipes

    Lead and copper, from the homes the utility samples. Your own service line, solder and fixtures decide yours.

  5. Copper

    Above the action level

    5.0ppm

    90th percentile, 1993

    In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 5.0 ppm, above the 1.3 ppm action level.

    EPA SDWIS, lead and copper monitoring periods ending 1993. The line stops at the latest period; each tick under it is an earlier one.

  6. At your tap

    The last stretch is your own plumbing. A certified lab test is the only way to know what reaches your glass. Lead in your water: what to do

Tested and not found

Below EPA’s minimum reporting level in every sample taken from April 7, 2025 to Oct. 7, 2025. Not found means not measured above that level, which is not the same as zero.

All 30 compounds tested and not found
  • 11Cl-PF3OUdS
  • 4:2 FTS
  • 6:2 FTS
  • 8:2 FTS
  • 9Cl-PF3ONS
  • ADONA
  • HFPO-DA (GenX)
  • Lead
  • Lithium
  • NEtFOSAA
  • NFDHA
  • NMeFOSAA
  • PFBA
  • PFBS
  • PFDA
  • PFDoA
  • PFEESA
  • PFHpA
  • PFHpS
  • PFHxA
  • PFHxS
  • PFMBA
  • PFMPA
  • PFNA
  • PFOS
  • PFPeA
  • PFPeS
  • PFTA
  • PFTrDA
  • PFUnA

Violations since 2016

No health-based violations on file with EPA since 2016.

What handles it

A certification covers specific claims, not a whole standard. Look for these claims on the certifier’s listing, not the box. Wording varies a little: NSF writes “Lead Reduction,” WQA just “Lead.”

  • NSF/ANSI 53

    Claims: Copper Reduction, PFOA Reduction

    For: Copper, PFOA

  • NSF/ANSI 58

    Claims: Copper Reduction, Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)

    For: Copper, PFOA

At the tap, or for the whole house?

Lead and copper usually come from pipes and fixtures inside or near your home. A whole-house system sits where water enters, so it cannot catch what your own plumbing adds after it. For those, the filter that counts is the one at the tap. How whole-house systems compare.

Compare five-year costs

Filters with those claims on a certifier’s listing

TapBuff earns a commission if you buy through some links on this page. It does not change which standard or filter we name. As an Amazon Associate, TapBuff earns from qualifying purchases. How TapBuff makes money

What this report cannot tell you

  • Levels of everything else. Federal bulk data carries results for PFAS, lithium, lead and copper, and violations for the rest. Nitrate, arsenic, disinfection byproducts and other levels are in Blackstone Water Department’s own annual report, which it must send you every year.
  • Your own plumbing. Lead results are the 90th percentile across homes the utility samples. Your home’s service line, solder and fixtures decide yours. A certified lab test is the only way to know.
  • Anything after the latest data. SDWIS data is from 2026 Q2; UCMR 5 samples are from April 7, 2025 to Oct. 7, 2025.

Other Massachusetts utilities

All Massachusetts utilities

Sources

What to do next

  1. Start with Copper

    What each marked result does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.

  2. Read the utility’s own report

    Blackstone Water Department must send you a water quality report every year. It lists nitrate, arsenic and byproduct levels this page cannot.

  3. Test your own tap for lead

    Your service line, solder and fixtures decide the lead at your faucet, not the utility’s average.

  4. Compare five-year costs

    What the filters certified for these results cost over five years, cartridges included.