Is Canton Water Dept Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

Water source: SWP
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	2013-08-01 → 2013-08-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2013-08-01 → 2013-08-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2012-11-01 → 2012-11-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2012-11-01 → 2012-11-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2012-09-01 → 2012-09-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2012-09-01 → 2012-09-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2012-08-01 → 2012-08-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2012-08-01 → 2012-08-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2012-07-01 → 2012-07-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2012-07-01 → 2012-07-31

PFAS detected

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

Contaminant	Max	Detection rate	Period
PFOA	0.0050 µg/L	3/8	2024
4:2 Fts	0.0030 µg/L	1/8	2024
Pfhxa	0.0032 µg/L	1/8	2024
Pfpea	0.0034 µg/L	1/8	2024

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
Bromodichloromethane	11.14 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 15.4 µg/L	139/139	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	16.7 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 33.5 µg/L	139/139	SYR4	2012–2019
TTHM	34.03 µg/L 43% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L worst single sample: 55.1 µg/L	139/139	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromochloromethane	7.24 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 10.3 µg/L	134/139	SYR4	2012–2019
Chlorite	580 µg/L 58% of the EPA limit 1000 µg/L worst single sample: 770 µg/L	126/211	SYR4	2012–2018
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	19 µg/L 32% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 27.7 µg/L	123/139	SYR4	2012–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	13.84 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 17.2 µg/L	99/139	SYR4	2012–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	4.325 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 7.7 µg/L	76/139	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromoform	1.923 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 3.1 µg/L	75/139	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromoacetic Acid	2.25 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 2.7 µg/L	46/139	SYR4	2012–2019
Monochloroacetic Acid	5.56 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 10 µg/L	39/139	SYR4	2012–2019
Nitrate	2085 µg/L 21% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 2130 µg/L	30/30	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	0.0014 mg/L 9.3% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	22/22	LCR	2025
Copper	160 µg/L 12% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 170 µg/L	6/16	SYR4	2012–2019
Fluoride	1122 µg/L 28% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 1280 µg/L	5/7	SYR4	2012–2019

84 contaminants tested, none detected

1,1,1-Trichloroethane1,1,2-Trichloroethane1,1-Dichloroethylene1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE1,2-Dichloroethane1,2-Dichloropropane11Cl-PF3OUdS2,4,5-TP2,4-D6:2 Fts8:2 Fts9Cl-PF3ONSAdonaAntimony, TotalArsenicAtrazineBhc-GammaBariumBenzeneBenzo(A)PyreneBeryllium, TotalChlorobenzeneCyanideCadmiumCarbofuranCarbon TetrachlorideChlordaneChromiumDichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDinosebEthylene DibromideEndrinEthylbenzeneHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoMercuryMethoxychlorMonobromoacetic AcidNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitriteOxamylPfbaPFBSPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpaPfhpsPFHXSPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPFOSPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSeleniumSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneThallium, TotalTolueneToxapheneTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneLithiumO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: CHRISTOPHER J SYKES
Phone: 7818215017
Email: [email protected]

Frequently asked questions about Canton Water Dept

Is Canton Water Dept tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 19 contaminants in Canton Water Dept'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 Canton Water Dept's water?

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

How many people does Canton Water Dept serve?

Canton Water Dept reports serving 22,766 people in Massachusetts, per its EPA record.

Has Canton Water Dept had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 27 violations on file for Canton Water Dept, of which 18 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.