Is Spencer, MA tap water safe?
The short answer
Neither of the 2 utilities serving Spencer has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Massachusetts’s records.
Spencer Water Department, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 1.6 ppb, above the health goal. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from Spencer Water Department is moderately hard, typically 70 mg/L (4.1 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 Spencer’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Spencer Water Department
Massachusetts · serves 7,037 people · about 500 in Spencer
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 1.6 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard, typically 70 mg/L (4.1 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Saint Josephs Abbey
Massachusetts · serves 45 people · under 100 in Spencer
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 8.6 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: soft to hard depending on the source, 0.1 to 134 mg/L (0 to 7.8 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 Spencer 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 Spencer
The 3 labs Massachusetts certifies closest to Spencer, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Eurofins-Worcester
Worcester, MA · about 11 miles
Certified for bacteria
Pace Analytical LLC-Westborough
Westborough, MA · about 19 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, minerals and other inorganics
Quabbin Analytical Laboratory
Belchertown, MA · about 21 miles
Certified for bacteria
ZIP codes in Spencer
Which ZIP codes are in Spencer: 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 Spencer
Other towns in Worcester County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Spencer 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