Is Franklin Water Department Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

Water source: Ground water
Ownership: Local government
Counties served: Norfolk

Compliance record

Formal violations the EPA has on file for this supplier. A health-based violation means a contaminant limit or a required treatment was breached; the rest are monitoring or reporting failures — still violations, but not a measured health risk.

health-based violations

violations on file

still open

Violation	Type	Status	Period
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2014-08-01 → 2014-08-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2014-08-01 → 2014-08-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2010-07-01 → 2010-07-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2010-07-01 → 2010-07-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2000-09-01 → 2000-09-30
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2000-07-01 → 2000-07-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	1998-10-01 → 1998-10-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	1998-06-01 → 1998-06-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	1996-10-01 → 1996-10-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	1996-09-01 → 1996-09-30

PFAS detected

PFAS are industrial “forever chemicals”. These are the EPA's latest nationwide test results (2023–2025).

Contaminant	Max	Detection rate	Period
PFBS	0.0037 µg/L	5/14	2025
PFOA	0.0047 µg/L	3/14	2025
PFHXS	0.0054 µg/L	2/14	2025
Pfhxa	0.0036 µg/L	1/14	2025
PFOS	0.0056 µg/L	1/14	2025

Other contaminants detected

Each bar shows the measured level as a share of the EPA limit: green is well under, amber is close to it, red is over. For lead and copper the limit applies to exactly the 90th-percentile figure shown, so red there means a real exceedance. For everything else the limit applies to a running annual average while the figure is the 95th percentile of this system's samples — over 100% is worth reading, but is not by itself a violation. Where a single sample came in higher than that percentile, it is noted under the bar. Formal violations are listed separately.

Contaminant	Level vs EPA limit	Detection rate	Source	Period
Nitrate	4620 µg/L 46% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 5290 µg/L	140/140	SYR4	2012–2019
TTHM	38.8 µg/L 49% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L worst single sample: 44.4 µg/L	46/46	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromodichloromethane	12.985 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 13.9 µg/L	42/42	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromochloromethane	12.465 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 15 µg/L	42/42	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	14.1 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 18.6 µg/L	41/42	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromoform	4.525 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 5.9 µg/L	34/42	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	12.44 µg/L 21% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 18 µg/L	33/46	SYR4	2012–2019
Copper	69 µg/L 5.3% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 90 µg/L	23/49	SYR4	2012–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	6.7 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 8.4 µg/L	21/42	SYR4	2012–2019
Fluoride	1010 µg/L 25% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 1050 µg/L	17/17	SYR4	2012–2018
Lead	0.0020 mg/L 13% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	17/17	LCR	2025
Dinoseb	0.9800 µg/L 14% of the EPA limit 7 µg/L worst single sample: 1.1 µg/L	13/67	SYR4	2013–2019
Dibromoacetic Acid	2.96 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 3.4 µg/L	12/42	SYR4	2012–2019
Barium	202.5 µg/L 10% of the EPA limit 2000 µg/L worst single sample: 270 µg/L	10/17	SYR4	2012–2018
Dichloroacetic Acid	8.56 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 9.6 µg/L	9/42	SYR4	2012–2019
1,1,1-Trichloroethane	0.9000 µg/L 0.5% of the EPA limit 200 µg/L	2/71	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromate	1.9 µg/L 19% of the EPA limit 10 µg/L	1/27	SYR4	2012–2019

81 contaminants tested, none detected

1,1,2-Trichloroethane1,1-Dichloroethylene1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE1,2-Dichloroethane1,2-Dichloropropane11Cl-PF3OUdS2,4,5-TP2,4-D4:2 Fts6:2 Fts8:2 Fts9Cl-PF3ONSAdonaAntimony, TotalArsenicAtrazineBhc-GammaBenzeneBenzo(A)PyreneBeryllium, TotalChlorobenzeneCyanideCadmiumCarbofuranCarbon TetrachlorideChlordaneChromiumDichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateEthylene DibromideEndrinEthylbenzeneHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoMercuryMethoxychlorMonobromoacetic AcidMonochloroacetic AcidNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitriteOxamylPfbaPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpaPfhpsPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPfpeaPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSeleniumSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneThallium, TotalTolueneToxapheneTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneLithiumO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: DOUGLAS M MARTIN
Phone: 5085535500
Email: [email protected]

Frequently asked questions about Franklin Water Department

Is Franklin Water Department tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 22 contaminants in Franklin Water Department's water. A detection isn't the same as a violation — most levels are within federal limits. See each level and source above, and the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report for its official compliance status.

What contaminants were detected in Franklin Water Department's water?

EPA monitoring detected Nitrate, TTHM, Bromodichloromethane, Dibromochloromethane, Chloroform, and others. The full list with the level and data source for each is above.

How many people does Franklin Water Department serve?

Franklin Water Department reports serving 33,706 people in Massachusetts, per its EPA record.

Has Franklin Water Department had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 28 violations on file for Franklin Water Department, of which 13 are health-based (a contaminant limit or required treatment was breached) and 1 remain open. The rest are monitoring or reporting failures.

Where does this data come from?

Every figure is official EPA drinking-water monitoring — the Lead & Copper Rule, the UCMR-5 nationwide testing program, and the EPA Six-Year Review — not our own testing. Each number is labelled with its source and period.