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Millis Water Dept water quality report, rewritten

Serves
9,055
Connections
3,068
Water source
Groundwater
Based in
Millis, MA
County
Norfolk
Owner
Local government
The ZIP code it serves

02054

PWSID MA21870002026 edition · EPA data

Read this first

  • PFOS (above the health goal) was found in two of 8 samples, highest 7.3 ppt. Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.
  • PFOA (above the health goal) was found in two of 8 samples, highest 6.9 ppt. Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.
  • Copper (above the health goal) In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 1.4 ppm, above the 1.3 ppm action level.
  • Lead (above the health goal) In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 1.5 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.

No health-based violations on file since 2016. EPA lists 2 monitoring or reporting violations, which are paperwork and testing lapses rather than water quality findings.

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.

PFOS (above the health goal)

Comes from the source

7.3 (above the legal limit in at least one sample)ppt

Highest of 8 samples; found in two

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

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 53Look for: PFOS ReductionSame claim, other certifiers’ wording: Total PFAS Reduction; Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)
  • NSF/ANSI 58Look for: Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)

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.

EPA UCMR 5, samples taken from May 2, 2023 to Nov. 7, 2023. Each blue tick is one sample where it was found.

PFOA (above the health goal)

Comes from the source

6.9 (above the legal limit in at least one sample)ppt

Highest of 8 samples; found in two

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

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 53Look for: PFOA ReductionSame claim, other certifiers’ wording: Total PFAS Reduction; Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)
  • NSF/ANSI 58Look for: Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)

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.

EPA UCMR 5, samples taken from May 2, 2023 to Nov. 7, 2023. Each blue tick is one sample where it was found.

Copper (above the health goal)

Comes from pipes, often your own

1.4 (above the action level)ppm

90th percentile, 1998

In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 1.4 ppm, above the 1.3 ppm action level.

What handles it

EPA SDWIS, lead and copper monitoring periods ending 1992 to 1998. The pointer marks the latest period; each blue tick is an earlier one.

Lead (above the health goal)

Comes from pipes, often your own

1.5ppb

90th percentile, 2025

In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 1.5 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.

What handles it

EPA SDWIS, lead and copper monitoring periods ending 2009 to 2025. The pointer marks the latest period; each blue tick is an earlier one.

PFBS

Comes from the source

9.1ppt

Highest of 8 samples; found in two

Below EPA’s hazard index benchmark of 2,000 ppt. PFBS has no legal limit or health goal of its own.

What handles it

EPA UCMR 5, samples taken from May 2, 2023 to Nov. 7, 2023. Each blue tick is one sample where it was found.

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
PFPeA3.0 ppt1 of 8None covers it
PFHxA3.0 ppt1 of 8None covers it

Tested and not found

Below EPA’s minimum reporting level in every sample taken from May 2, 2023 to Jan. 22, 2024. Not found means not measured above that level, which is not the same as zero.

All 25 compounds tested and not found
  • 11Cl-PF3OUdS
  • 4:2 FTS
  • 6:2 FTS
  • 8:2 FTS
  • 9Cl-PF3ONS
  • ADONA
  • HFPO-DA (GenX)
  • Lithium
  • NEtFOSAA
  • NFDHA
  • NMeFOSAA
  • PFBA
  • PFDA
  • PFDoA
  • PFEESA
  • PFHpA
  • PFHpS
  • PFHxS
  • PFMBA
  • PFMPA
  • PFNA
  • PFPeS
  • PFTA
  • PFTrDA
  • PFUnA

Violations since 2016

No health-based violations on file with EPA since 2016. There are 2 monitoring or reporting violations: a sample missed, late or not reported.

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: PFOS Reduction, PFOA Reduction, Copper Reduction, Lead Reduction

    For: PFOS, PFOA, Copper, Lead

  • NSF/ANSI 58

    Claims: Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS), Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), Copper Reduction, Lead Reduction

    For: PFOS, PFOA, Copper, 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 Millis Water Dept’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 May 2, 2023 to Jan. 22, 2024.

What to do next

  1. Read up on the 4 marked results

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

    Start with PFOS

  2. Get the utility’s own report

    Millis Water Dept 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

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