Boston’s water quality sampling taken of 33 homes with lead service lines during the fall of 2025 sampling found elevated levels of lead in drinking water in 4 homes. As a reminder, all of Boston’s water mains are lead free. However, some older homes in Boston may have a lead water service line. BWSC has produced a new PSA on Lead you can find in the notice.
Tests of water from MWRA's Quabbin and Wachusetts Reservoirs, which are the source of Boston's potable water, show no more than trace amounts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, together abbreviated as PFAS. In fact, PFAS in MWRA water were too low to be quantified. The sum of the six regulated PFA compounds was zero, below the new MassDEP standard of 20 ng/l.
PFAS are chemicals of public health concern. These compounds are persistent in the environment and have been used for decades in a number of everyday products.
As expected given MWRA’s well-protected watersheds and reservoirs, MWRA easily met new MA standards for PFAS. MWRA will continue to perform testing and closely monitor developments in the science around this issue.
MWRA tests the water supply each year for over 120 contaminants to ensure the water supplied is of the highest quality. For more information about PFAS and all other drinking water tests or if you have any questions about water quality, please visit MWRA's Water Testing page, which includes all of MWRA's annual and monthly test results, or contact MWRA at 617-242-5323.