Is Rutland, MA tap water safe?
The short answer
2 of the 2 utilities serving Rutland have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Massachusetts’s records: Rutland Water Department and Cool Sandy Beach Community Water System.
Rutland Water Department, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 3.1 ppb, above the health goal. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from Rutland Water Department is soft, 22 mg/L (1.3 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 Rutland’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Rutland Water Department
Massachusetts · serves 6,025 people · about 440 in Rutland
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 3.1 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: soft, 22 mg/L (1.3 grains per gallon).
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Cool Sandy Beach Community Water System
Massachusetts · serves 70 people · under 100 in Rutland
1 result above the limit’s level with no violation recorded and 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 19.6 ppb, above the limit’s level, no violation.
2 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 Rutland 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 Rutland
The 3 labs Massachusetts certifies closest to Rutland, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Eurofins-Worcester
Worcester, MA · about 10 miles
Certified for bacteria
Pace Analytical LLC-Westborough
Westborough, MA · about 20 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, minerals and other inorganics
Quabbin Analytical Laboratory
Belchertown, MA · about 23 miles
Certified for bacteria
ZIP codes in Rutland
Which ZIP codes are in Rutland: 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 Rutland
Other towns in Worcester County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Rutland 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