Is Plymouth, MA tap water safe?
The short answer
3 of the 9 utilities serving Plymouth have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Massachusetts’s records: Herring Cove Condominiums Trust, Long Pond Realty Trust and Masac Plymouth.
Plymouth Water Department, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 2.5 ppb, above the health goal. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from Plymouth Water Department is soft to moderately hard depending on the source, 8 to 75 mg/L (0.5 to 4.4 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 Plymouth’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Plymouth Water Department
Massachusetts · serves 47,100 people · about 980 in Plymouth
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 2.5 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: soft to moderately hard depending on the source, 8 to 75 mg/L (0.5 to 4.4 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Aquarion Water Company, Pinehills
Massachusetts · serves 9,478 people · about 110 in Plymouth
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 1.9 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: soft, 26 mg/L (1.5 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Aquarion Water Company
Massachusetts · serves 987 people · under 100 in Plymouth
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 1.1 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: hard, typically 136 mg/L (7.9 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Buzzards Bay Water District
Massachusetts · serves 7,700 people · under 100 in Plymouth
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 1.0 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: soft, typically 16 mg/L (0.9 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Agawam Springs Water Company
Massachusetts · serves 2,380 people · under 100 in Plymouth
Nothing in its records is above a health goal. Hardness: soft, 12 mg/L (0.7 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Herring Cove Condominiums Trust
Massachusetts · serves 25 people · under 100 in Plymouth
1 result above the action level. The worst: Copper at 1.8 ppm, above the action level.
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Long Pond Realty Trust
Massachusetts · serves 90 people · under 100 in Plymouth
2 results above the action level. The worst: Copper at 4.5 ppm, above the action level.
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Aquarion Water Company Ponds of Plymouth
Massachusetts · serves 2,267 people · lists Plymouth among the places it serves
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 2.8 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: soft, typically 17 mg/L (1 grain per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Masac Plymouth
Massachusetts · serves 210 people · lists Plymouth among the places it serves
1 result above the action level. The worst: Copper at 2.1 ppm, above the action level. Hardness: soft, 7.8 mg/L (0.5 grains per gallon).
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 Plymouth Water Department’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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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 Plymouth
The 3 labs Massachusetts certifies closest to Plymouth, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Eurofins Providence (AB)
Middleborough, MA · about 12 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Envirotech Laboratories Inc.
Sandwich, MA · about 13 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, minerals and other inorganics
Barnstable County Health & Env Dept
Barnstable, MA · about 20 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, PFAS
ZIP codes in Plymouth
Which ZIP codes are in Plymouth: 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 Plymouth
Other towns in Plymouth County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Plymouth 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