Is Norwell Water Department Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

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

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	2006-12-01 → 2006-12-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2006-12-01 → 2006-12-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	1998-08-01 → 1998-08-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	1997-08-01 → 1997-08-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	1995-07-01 → 1995-07-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	1995-06-01 → 1995-06-30
MR	Monitoring	Addressed	2024-07-01
MON	Monitoring	Resolved	2022-09-01 → 2022-09-30
MR	Monitoring	Archived	2006-10-01 → 2006-12-31
MR	Monitoring	Archived	2006-10-01 → 2006-12-31

PFAS detected

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

Contaminant	Max	Detection rate	Period
PFOA	0.0099 µg/L	5/6	2024
PFBS	0.0077 µg/L	4/6	2024
PFOS	0.0184 µg/L	4/6	2024
Pfpea	0.0100 µg/L	4/6	2024
Pfhpa	0.0047 µg/L	3/6	2024
Pfhxa	0.0084 µg/L	3/6	2024
Pfba	0.0060 µg/L	1/6	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
TTHM	82.12 µg/L 103% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 80 µg/L worst single sample: 160 µg/L	119/119	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	41.15 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 88 µg/L	116/116	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromodichloromethane	30.04 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 57.9 µg/L	109/116	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	47.34 µg/L 79% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 103 µg/L	109/119	SYR4	2012–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	24.99 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 45.7 µg/L	100/116	SYR4	2012–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	20.97 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 51.1 µg/L	94/116	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromochloromethane	13.4 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 32.8 µg/L	83/116	SYR4	2012–2019
Nitrate	4660 µg/L 47% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 4730 µg/L	54/54	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromoacetic Acid	6.2 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 9.5 µg/L	32/116	SYR4	2012–2019
Monochloroacetic Acid	6.5 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 6.8 µg/L	21/116	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromoform	6.38 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 7.1 µg/L	19/116	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	0.0040 mg/L 27% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	13/13	LCR	2025
Monobromoacetic Acid	1.2 µg/L No EPA limit set	3/116	SYR4	2012–2019

83 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-D4:2 Fts6:2 Fts8:2 Fts9Cl-PF3ONSAdonaAntimony, TotalArsenicAsbestosAtrazineBhc-GammaBariumBenzeneBenzo(A)PyreneBeryllium, TotalChlorobenzeneCopperCyanideCadmiumCarbofuranCarbon TetrachlorideChlordaneChromiumDichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDinosebEthylene DibromideEndrinEthylbenzeneFluorideHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoMercuryMethoxychlorNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitriteOxamylPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpsPFHXSPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSeleniumSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneThallium, TotalTolueneToxapheneTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneLithiumO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: JASON FEDERICO
Phone: 7816598076
Email: [email protected]

Frequently asked questions about Norwell Water Department

Is Norwell Water Department tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 20 contaminants in Norwell 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 Norwell Water Department's water?

EPA monitoring detected TTHM, Chloroform, Bromodichloromethane, Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5), Trichloroacetic Acid, and others. The full list with the level and data source for each is above.

How many people does Norwell Water Department serve?

Norwell Water Department reports serving 11,495 people in Massachusetts, per its EPA record.

Has Norwell Water Department had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 15 violations on file for Norwell Water Department, of which 6 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.