Worcester County, Massachusetts: drinking water report. Worcester County in central Massachusetts has about 862,000 residents, making it the most populous…
Worcester County in central Massachusetts has about 862,000 residents, making it the most populous county in New England outside of the Boston metro. The city of Worcester draws from ten reservoirs managed by the Worcester Department of Public Works and Health. The county's geography – from the Blackstone River valley to the Wachusett Reservoir watershed – creates varied water quality conditions.
The Wachusett Reservoir, which supplies the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) system serving metro Boston, sits partly in Worcester County. It is one of the few unfiltered surface water supplies in the country, protected by strict watershed management. Worcester's own separate reservoir system produces good quality water but requires conventional treatment.
PFAS has been detected across multiple Worcester County water systems. The former Worcester Regional Airport and several smaller municipal airports used AFFF. Massachusetts DEP's 2024 PFAS compliance data shows five county water systems required treatment upgrades to meet the state's 20 ppt combined PFAS standard. A 2024 DEP investigation documented PFAS at 25 ppt in monitoring wells near the Southbridge airport.
Worcester County's many small water systems mean quality varies significantly by town. Larger systems like Worcester have more treatment capacity, while small district systems may struggle to fund PFAS treatment upgrades.
Check your water for data specific to your system. For PFAS, reverse osmosis provides the most effective household treatment. Our water filter guide evaluates systems by certified performance. Pull your detailed report for local data, and visit our Massachusetts page for statewide context.