Is Wellesley, MA tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 3 utilities serving Wellesley has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Massachusetts’s records: Wellesley College.
Wellesley Water Division, which serves the most people here, has 2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 1 result above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 6.6 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
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 Wellesley’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Wellesley Water Division
Massachusetts · serves 29,550 people · nearly all in Wellesley
2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 1 result above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 6.6 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Wellesley College
Massachusetts · serves 3,000 people · about 2,100 in Wellesley
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 4.3 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: soft to moderately hard depending on the source, 60 to 67 mg/L (3.5 to 3.9 grains per gallon).
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Natick Water and Sewer Division
Massachusetts · serves 37,006 people · about 280 in Wellesley
2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 1 result above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 37.3 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: moderately hard to hard depending on the source, 90 to 157 mg/L (5.3 to 9.2 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 Wellesley Water Division’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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ZeroWater 10 Cup Pitcher (ZP-010)
Pitcher
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: PFOS, PFOA, Lead
Aquasana Claryum Direct Connect (AQ-MF-1)
Under-sink carbon
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
Certified for: PFOS, PFOA, Lead
Express Water StreamLine Direct Connect System (USC001)
Under-sink carbon
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
Certified for: PFOS, PFOA, Lead
Water testing near Wellesley
The 3 labs Massachusetts certifies closest to Wellesley, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
White Lodge Laboratory
Westwood, MA · about 7 miles
Certified for bacteria
Mass DPH Environmental Chemistry Lab
Jamaica Plain, MA · about 9 miles
Certified for lead and copper, metals
Matrix Sciences International Inc.
Canton, MA · about 12 miles
Certified for bacteria
Which ZIP codes are in Wellesley: 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 Wellesley
Other towns in Norfolk County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Wellesley Water Division’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for PFOSRanked by certification and what they cost over five years.The best water filters for PFAS, ranked
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water