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Watertown Department of Public Works water quality report, rewritten

Serves
35,985
Connections
7,662
Water source
Surface water bought from another system
Based in
Watertown, MA
County
Middlesex
Owner
Local government
The 3 ZIP codes it serves

02471, 02472, 02477

PWSID MA33140002026 edition · EPA data

Read this first

Nothing in the federal data for this utility is above a health goal. That covers PFAS, lithium, lead and copper; it does not cover everything, so read what this report cannot tell you below.

No health-based violations on file since 2016. EPA lists 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are paperwork and testing lapses rather than water quality findings.

What was found

Highlighted: above the health goal, or EPA’s health benchmark where there is no goal. Circled: above the legal limit in at least one sample, or the action level. Every scale puts that line at its middle.

None of the contaminants in the federal data below were found at or above EPA’s reporting levels.

Tested and not found

Below EPA’s minimum reporting level in every sample taken from Jan. 8, 2024 to Oct. 7, 2024. Not found means not measured above that level, which is not the same as zero.

All 30 compounds tested and not found
  • 11Cl-PF3OUdS
  • 4:2 FTS
  • 6:2 FTS
  • 8:2 FTS
  • 9Cl-PF3ONS
  • ADONA
  • HFPO-DA (GenX)
  • Lithium
  • NEtFOSAA
  • NFDHA
  • NMeFOSAA
  • PFBA
  • PFBS
  • PFDA
  • PFDoA
  • PFEESA
  • PFHpA
  • PFHpS
  • PFHxA
  • PFHxS
  • PFMBA
  • PFMPA
  • PFNA
  • PFOA
  • PFOS
  • PFPeA
  • PFPeS
  • PFTA
  • PFTrDA
  • PFUnA

Violations since 2016

No health-based violations on file with EPA since 2016. There is 1 monitoring or reporting violation: a sample missed, late or not reported.

What this report cannot tell you

  • Levels of everything else. Federal bulk data carries results for PFAS, lithium, lead and copper, and violations for the rest. Nitrate, arsenic, disinfection byproducts and other levels are in Watertown Department of Public Works’s own annual report, which it must send you every year.
  • Your own plumbing. Lead results are the 90th percentile across homes the utility samples. Your home’s service line, solder and fixtures decide yours. A certified lab test is the only way to know.
  • Anything after the latest data. SDWIS data is from 2026 Q2; UCMR 5 samples are from Jan. 8, 2024 to Oct. 7, 2024.

What to do next

  1. Nothing here is above a health goal

    In the federal data for this utility. That data does not cover everything, which is why the next step matters.

    Every contaminant TapBuff tracks

  2. Get the utility’s own report

    Watertown Department of Public Works must send you a water quality report every year. It lists nitrate, arsenic and byproduct levels this page cannot.

    How to read it

  3. Test your own tap for lead

    Your service line, solder and fixtures decide the lead at your faucet, not the utility’s average.

    Lead in your water: what to do

  4. Decide if you want a filter at all

    A filter for taste or chlorine is a preference, not a need. The standards say what each kind can do.

    NSF/ANSI standards, decoded

Other Massachusetts utilities

All Massachusetts utilities

Sources