Is Manchester, NH tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 2 utilities serving Manchester has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and CDC’s records: Rockwood Terrace Condos.
Manchester Water Works, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. The worst: PFOA at 5.0 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 Manchester’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Manchester Water Works
New Hampshire · serves 123,500 people · nearly all in Manchester
1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. The worst: PFOA at 5.0 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Rockwood Terrace Condos
New Hampshire · serves 25 people · under 100 in Manchester
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Uranium at 0.33 ppb, above the health goal.
4 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 Manchester Water Works’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: PFOA
Aquasana Claryum Direct Connect (AQ-MF-1)
Under-sink carbon
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
Certified for: PFOA
Express Water StreamLine Direct Connect System (USC001)
Under-sink carbon
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
Certified for: PFOA
Water testing near Manchester
The 3 labs New Hampshire certifies closest to Manchester, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Nelson Analytical LLC
Manchester, NH · about 3 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts
Eurofins Derry
Derry, NH · about 11 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, PFAS
Eurofins Concord
Concord, NH · about 18 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts
Which ZIP codes are in Manchester: 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: New Hampshire ELAP, drinking water labs, as listed in TNI LAMS; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer.
Near Manchester
Other towns in Hillsborough County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Manchester Water Works’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for PFOARanked 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