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Devens Massdevelopment water quality report, rewritten

Serves
6,500
Connections
413
Water source
Groundwater
Based in
Ayer, MA
County
Middlesex
Owner
State government
The 3 ZIP codes it serves

01432, 01434, 01464

PWSID MA20190012026 edition · EPA data

Read this first

  • Copper (above the health goal) In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 1.8 ppm, above the 1.3 ppm action level.

1 health-based violation since 2016. Details are below.

What handles it

What was found

Highlighted: above the health goal, or EPA’s health benchmark where there is no goal. Circled: above the legal limit in at least one sample, or the action level. Every scale puts that line at its middle.

Copper (above the health goal)

Comes from pipes, often your own

1.8 (above the action level)ppm

90th percentile, 2006

In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 1.8 ppm, above the 1.3 ppm action level.

What handles it

EPA SDWIS, lead and copper monitoring periods ending 2005 to 2006. The pointer marks the latest period; each blue tick is an earlier one.

Also found, with no federal limit

EPA measured these PFAS to learn how often they occur. None has a legal limit or a health goal yet.

CompoundHighest sampleFound inCertification claim
PFPeA11.6 ppt1 of 6None covers it
PFBA7.7 ppt2 of 6None covers it

Tested and not found

Below EPA’s minimum reporting level in every sample taken from April 4, 2023 to Nov. 7, 2023. Not found means not measured above that level, which is not the same as zero.

All 29 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
  • PFBS
  • PFDA
  • PFDoA
  • PFEESA
  • PFHpA
  • PFHpS
  • PFHxA
  • PFHxS
  • PFMBA
  • PFMPA
  • PFNA
  • PFOA
  • PFOS
  • PFPeS
  • PFTA
  • PFTrDA
  • PFUnA

Violations since 2016

Contaminant or ruleTypePeriodMeasuredStatus
Coliform (TCR)Too many samples in a month tested positive for coliform bacteria.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR)March 1, 2016 to March 31, 2016—Resolved
Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 2 monitoring or reporting violations not shown.

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.”

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 Devens Massdevelopment’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 4, 2023 to Nov. 7, 2023.

What to do next

  1. Read up on Copper

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

    About Copper

  2. Get the utility’s own report

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

    How to read it

  3. Test your own tap for lead

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

    Lead in your water: what to do

  4. Compare certified filters

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

    Compare five-year costs

Other Massachusetts utilities

All Massachusetts utilities

Sources