Is Barre, MA tap water safe?
The short answer
Neither of the 2 utilities serving Barre has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Massachusetts’s records.
Barre Water Department, which serves the most people here, has 2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 1.5 ppb, above the health goal. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from Barre Water Department is soft, 21 mg/L (1.2 grains per gallon). How Massachusetts’s water compares.
A town can be served by more than one utility, and some homes are on private wells. The name on your water bill tells you which is yours, and your ZIP code narrows it down. They are listed by how many people each serves in Barre’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Barre Water Department
Massachusetts · serves 2,610 people · about 120 in Barre
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 1.5 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: soft, 21 mg/L (1.2 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Barre Mhp/Waterwheel Village
Massachusetts · serves 114 people · under 100 in Barre
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in Barre Water Department’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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Aquasana SmartFlow Reverse Osmosis (AQ-SFRO2)
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Lead, Arsenic
Brondell Capella RC250 Reverse Osmosis System
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Lead, Arsenic
Water testing near Barre
The 3 labs Massachusetts certifies closest to Barre, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Quabbin Analytical Laboratory
Belchertown, MA · about 18 miles
Certified for bacteria
Eurofins-Worcester
Worcester, MA · about 18 miles
Certified for bacteria
Howard Laboratories LLC
South Deerfield, MA · about 26 miles
Certified for bacteria
ZIP codes in Barre
Which ZIP codes are in Barre: Census 2020 relationship files. Which utilities serve them, and how many people: EPA SDWIS and EPA’s service area map. Each utility’s results: EPA UCMR 5, EPA SDWIS, and EPA’s and the state’s compliance monitoring, as its report lists them. How they are measured: methodology. Certified labs: MassDEP Online Searchable Laboratory Certification Listing, potable water; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer.
Near Barre
Other towns in Worcester County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Barre Water Department’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for LeadRanked by certification and what they cost over five years.The best water filters for lead, ranked
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water