Is MWRA's water safe to drink?
MWRA has a health-based violation on record, but none in the last five years - an older issue, not necessarily a current one. 2,580,000 people get their water from it, across 186 connections.
How this compares nationally
4 total violations and 1 health-based ones put MWRA at the 32th percentile nationally for violation burden, rank 8,785 of 12,903.
Against the MA average
MWRA's 1 health-based violations sit within the MA average of 7.0, across 283 systems statewide. The filter guide explains what a violation like this actually calls for.
Most recent violation on record
MWRA's most recent violation on record is dated 2001-01-01, with the most recent health-based one dated 1992-01-01. Last reported to EPA: 06/22/2026.
The concern categories on record
MWRA's flagged contaminants and rule violations, grouped by what they actually mean for a filter choice rather than left as EPA's raw code list:
- Microbial contamination / treatment technique - flagged from: Surface Water Treatment Rule
The most severe category on record is microbial contamination / treatment technique, which points toward a microbial-class filter if you want to address it directly.
What MWRA's record does not cover
This is what MWRA reported to its state primacy agency and EPA under the Safe Drinking Water Act - real regulatory record, not a lab test of your specific tap. This record - 1 health-based violation on file for MWRA - stops at the meter and cannot see household plumbing on the other side of it. The guide to what this data misses covers that gap.