Is Chelsea, MA tap water safe?
The short answer
Chelsea Water Dept. (MWRA) serves Chelsea. In EPA’s and Massachusetts’s records it has 1 result above the health goal, and no health-based violation since 2016.
The worst: Lead at 2.4 ppb, above the health goal. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
Some homes in a town are on private wells or a small system of their own. The name on your water bill tells you which is yours.
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in Chelsea Water Dept. (MWRA)’s water.
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Brita Tahoe Pitcher with Elite Filter (OB60, OB06)
Pitcher
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 13, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 53checked Oct. 13, 2026
Certified for: Lead
Brita Everyday Pitcher with Elite Filter (OB46, OB06)
Pitcher
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 13, 2026
Certified for: Lead
PUR PLUS 11-Cup Pitcher (PPT111W)
Pitcher
- NSF listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Lead
Water testing near Chelsea
The 3 labs Massachusetts certifies closest to Chelsea, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Mass DPH Environmental Chemistry Lab
Jamaica Plain, MA · about 7 miles
Certified for lead and copper, metals
G and L Labs Inc.
Quincy, MA · about 9 miles
Certified for bacteria
New England Chromachem Inc.
Salem, MA · about 12 miles
Certified for organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, PFAS
ZIP codes in Chelsea
Which ZIP codes are in Chelsea: 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 Chelsea
Other towns in Suffolk County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Chelsea Water Dept. (MWRA)’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