Independent Attleboro drinking-water guide: WaterDepartmentGuide.org is an independent informational resource. It is not operated by or affiliated with the City of Attleboro Water Department, MassDEP, EPA or another government agency.
Water-quality results change as new samples are collected. For an active boil-water notice, PFAS notice, manganese advisory or other health-related instruction, follow the latest City and MassDEP notice rather than relying only on an annual report.
Attleboro Water Department: Water Quality, Testing & Reports
Attleboro, Massachusetts · drinking-water quality guide
Is Attleboro Water Safe? Check the Current PFAS, Testing & Annual Report Status
Attleboro continuously monitors its drinking-water system through plant testing, distribution sampling and state/federal compliance monitoring. The most important recent issue was a PFAS6 exceedance at the Wading River source in June 2025.
The City shut Wading River down on June 12, 2025, completed temporary PFAS treatment in December 2025, and its published 2026 Wading River PFAS6 samples through May are listed as “Non Detect.” Current West Street samples shown for January and April 2026 were also below Massachusetts’ 20 ng/L PFAS6 standard.
Wading River: Non Detect on Jan. 5, Feb. 3, Mar. 12, Apr. 7 and May 5, 2026. West Street: 9.95 ng/L Jan. 5 and 8.15 ng/L Apr. 7.
Direct answer first
Attleboro Water Quality Status in 2026
Attleboro did have a PFAS6 drinking-water standard exceedance involving the Wading River plant in 2025. That source was shut down, a temporary PFAS treatment plant was subsequently installed, and the City’s published Wading River samples from December 2025 through May 2026 are listed as non-detect.
Consumer Confidence Report
Latest Attleboro Water Quality Report
2025 Water Quality Report
The latest report currently listed in Attleboro’s Water Quality Report archive is the 2025 Water Quality Report. It summarizes the water system, source-water protection, treatment projects, regulated contaminants, compliance information and notices applicable to the reporting year.
Annual Consumer Confidence Reports generally summarize monitoring and compliance information from the previous calendar year. Attleboro’s archive currently identifies the 2025 report as its most recent item.
Reports available in the City archive
Where Attleboro water comes from
Attleboro Drinking-Water Sources
Attleboro’s public water supply is built around surface-water sources feeding two treatment facilities.
Manchester Reservoir & Orr’s Pond
- Manchester Reservoir
- Orr’s Pond
- Luther Pond
- Hoppin Hill Reservoir
- Lake Mirimichi
Blake’s Pond / Wading River
The Wading River treatment system receives source water associated with Blake’s Pond and the Wading River supply.
This was the source involved in Attleboro’s 2025 PFAS6 exceedance and is now served by temporary PFAS treatment.
The City’s latest report says approximately 28% of the Manchester/Orr’s Pond watershed and 38% of the Wading River watershed is protected open space. Transportation corridors, transmission lines and a capped solid-waste facility were among the higher-risk items identified through source-water assessment.
Most searched contaminant
Attleboro PFAS6 Water Results: What Happened & Where Things Stand
How the 2025 exceedance developed
Official 2026 PFAS6 results currently posted
| Sample Date | West Street | Wading River |
|---|---|---|
| January 5, 2026 | 9.95 ng/L | Non Detect |
| February 3, 2026 | — | Non Detect |
| March 12, 2026 | — | Non Detect |
| April 7, 2026 | 8.15 ng/L | Non Detect |
| May 5, 2026 | — | Non Detect |
The current results published by Attleboro show the temporary Wading River PFAS treatment producing non-detect results in the listed 2026 samples. The listed West Street results are also below Massachusetts’ 20 ng/L PFAS6 standard.
The Water Department continues PFAS sampling, and federal PFAS requirements are also evolving. Residents should use the City’s live result table for newer samples issued after this page’s review date.
Use this page for new PFAS6 measurements rather than relying only on the 2025 public notice.
Corrective action
What Is Attleboro Doing About PFAS?
Wading River Temporary PFAS Treatment
Online since December 2025The City’s current Water Facilities page states that the temporary PFAS treatment plant has been in service since December 2025.
Replacement Wading River Facility
Construction phaseThe latest CCR says permanent-facility design and bidding were completed, with construction planned to begin in spring 2026 and final completion targeted for winter 2028.
Multiple Water-Quality Challenges
PFAS + manganese + DBPsThe City’s FY2027 budget describes the permanent replacement facility as being designed to remove PFAS, manganese and disinfection-byproduct precursors.
How often is water tested?
Attleboro Drinking-Water Testing Schedule
The City says water is monitored through daily, weekly and other periodic testing. Different contaminants have different regulatory schedules.
Coliform / Bacteria
15–18 locationsSamples are collected from points across the distribution system, including remote areas of the City.
Sodium
Both treatment facilitiesThe City’s FAQ says sodium is analyzed monthly at each of its two facilities.
PFAS6
Source-specific monitoringAttleboro maintains a public table showing historical and current PFAS6 sampling at West Street and Wading River.
Lead & Copper
Household tap samplingLead and copper are tested at selected customer taps because plumbing materials can contribute these metals.
Manganese
Frequent posted resultsThe Water Department currently publishes recurring manganese results directly on its main page.
CCR / Water Report
Yearly summaryThe annual Consumer Confidence Report combines required monitoring and compliance information into one resident-facing report.
Attleboro tests for coliform bacteria as an indicator of possible microbial contamination. Sodium hypochlorite is used for disinfection and a disinfectant residual is maintained through the system.
Household plumbing matters
Lead & Copper Testing in Attleboro Water
Home Plumbing
The Water Department explains that when lead is detected at a tap, it commonly results from corrosion of household plumbing materials rather than from the source water itself.
Customer Tap Samples
The 2025 report says the system was required to collect 60 lead/copper samples semiannually during that monitoring period.
58 of 60 Initially Collected
The City fell two samples short during the first half of 2025. It says the full required number was collected during the second half of the year and the system returned to monitoring compliance.
The 2025 notice discussed an insufficient number of required samples during one monitoring period. It states that the required number of samples was subsequently collected.
Practical steps if your home’s plumbing may contain lead
Use fresh cold tap water for drinking and cooking rather than hot tap water.
If water has been sitting in the pipes for hours, run the cold water until it becomes noticeably colder.
Use a Massachusetts-certified drinking-water laboratory if you want property-specific results.
Ask the Water Department about available service-line material records or inventory work for your property.
Current dashboard results
Attleboro Manganese Testing in 2026
The Water Department publishes current manganese sample updates directly on its main department page. Because results can differ by source/sample location, the City sometimes publishes two values for a sample date.
| 2026 Sample | Results Published by City |
|---|---|
| January 6 | 0.247 mg/L – Non Detect |
| February 5 | 0.206 – 0.00510 mg/L |
| March 5 | 0.166 – 0.0118 mg/L |
| April 7 | 0.0622 – Non Detect mg/L |
| May 5 | 0.0452 – Non Detect mg/L |
| June 2 | 0.0291 – 0.00655 mg/L |
Manganese and disturbed mineral deposits can contribute to discoloration, especially during changes in source water, flushing or system work. Check the City’s active manganese notice and current result table if your water suddenly appears brown, yellow or dark.
Dietary sodium questions
How Much Sodium Is in Attleboro Water?
Do not rely only on a multi-year average. Ask the Water Department for the newest source-specific sodium result and discuss your dietary limit with your healthcare provider.
Soft vs. hard water
Is Attleboro Water Hard?
Attleboro water is on the soft end of the hardness scale.
The City gives an average hardness of approximately 40–45 mg/L, or 2.3–2.6 grains per gallon, and says additional residential water softening is generally not considered necessary.
From reservoir to faucet
How Attleboro Treats Drinking Water
Russell F. Tennant / West Street Treatment Facility
Polyaluminum Chloride
Used in coagulation, flocculation and settling to remove suspended and dissolved material.
Activated Carbon + Sand
Mixed-media filtration removes remaining particles and helps manage taste and odor.
Ozone
Used when needed to help manage seasonal manganese, organics and related source-water conditions. A new ozone system became operational in December 2025.
Sodium Hydroxide
Added after filtration to adjust treated-water pH.
Polyphosphate
Used to sequester metals and help reduce corrosion of household plumbing.
Sodium Hypochlorite
Used to destroy pathogens and maintain a disinfectant residual through the distribution system.
Fluorosilicic Acid
Added as the source of fluoride for community water fluoridation.
Wading River Treatment Plant
Your home’s tap can differ
Should You Have Your Attleboro Tap Water Tested?
If the City’s delivered water is meeting requirements but you suspect your service line, pipes, faucet, water heater or filter is affecting water at your own tap, Attleboro recommends using a commercial laboratory.
- Your home has older plumbing.
- Service-line material is unknown.
- You are concerned about lead solder or fixtures.
- Taste or odor persists at your home only.
- Discoloration is isolated to one property.
- You have a private treatment system or filter.
- Multiple neighbors have the same problem.
- Pressure suddenly drops.
- Water changes after a main break or flushing.
For compliance-grade drinking-water testing, select an appropriate state-certified laboratory and ask which sampling bottle, preservation method and collection procedure applies to the contaminant you want tested.
What does the symptom mean?
Cloudy, Brown, Chlorine Taste or Low-Pressure Water
Try the glass test
Fill a clear glass and let it sit. If cloudiness disappears, the City says it is typically entrapped air associated with seasonal water-temperature changes.
Refrigerate a pitcher
Chlorine is used for disinfection. The City’s guidance says chlorine odor can dissipate when water is left in a pitcher in the refrigerator overnight.
Check the aerator / filter
If discoloration, taste or odor is isolated to one sink, clean the faucet aerator and replace a local filter if installed.
Check the water heater
If the problem occurs only in hot water, the source may be the water heater rather than the public water system.
Check alerts and flushing
Main breaks, fires, maintenance, paving, street sweeping and hydrant flushing can disturb sediment.
Check leaks and filters
Change clogged household filters and look for active plumbing leaks. If there is no obvious private cause, call the Water Department.
If the City has issued a boil-water, manganese, PFAS or other active drinking-water notice, follow that notice’s instructions first.
Understand the numbers
How to Read an Attleboro Water Quality Report
The highest concentration legally allowed in drinking water for a regulated contaminant.
A non-enforceable public-health goal at which no known or expected health risk is anticipated.
A concentration that triggers additional treatment or other requirements, commonly used for lead and copper.
A compliance statistic based on household tap samples; it is not the same as an average of all homes.
A compliance average calculated across multiple monitoring periods for certain contaminants.
The laboratory did not detect the contaminant at or above its applicable reporting/detection threshold.
A concentration unit commonly used for minerals and conventional drinking-water parameters.
The concentration scale used in Attleboro’s PFAS6 result table.
Don’t wait for the annual report
How to Get Attleboro Water Quality Alerts
Go to the Water Department’s Alerts & Notifications page.
Choose relevant email/text notification options.
Receive updates about water quality, main breaks, flushing, restrictions and department activity.
Current contact routing
Attleboro Water Department Phone, Address & Hours
1296 West Street
Attleboro, MA 02703
Office:
774-203-1850
City line:
508-223-2222 ext. 1850
Matt Crotty
Acting Water Superintendent
The latest official department page reviewed for this article lists Matt Crotty as Acting Water Superintendent.
Official Department Page24/7 Emergency Line
Use for urgent water-system problems during nights, weekends and holidays.
Facility office hours
Department location
Map to Attleboro Water Department
Use the right source
What Should You Check Next?
Primary official sources
Official Attleboro Water Quality Resources
10 water-quality questions
Attleboro Water Department Water Quality FAQs
1. Is Attleboro tap water safe to drink in 2026?
Attleboro continuously tests its public drinking-water system under Massachusetts and federal requirements. The major recent issue was a PFAS6 exceedance involving the Wading River source in June 2025. The source was taken offline, temporary PFAS treatment began operating in December 2025, and the City’s published Wading River PFAS6 samples from January through May 2026 are listed as Non Detect. Residents should still check current City notices because water-quality conditions and regulatory results can change.
2. What is the latest Attleboro Water Quality Report?
The latest report currently listed in the City’s Water Quality Report archive is the 2025 Water Quality Report for public water system 4016000. The City also keeps previous reports going back many years in its online Archive Center.
3. Does Attleboro water still have a PFAS problem?
Attleboro had a PFAS6 exceedance at the Wading River source in 2025. The plant was taken offline on June 12, 2025 and a temporary PFAS treatment plant began operation in December 2025. Current City results list Wading River as Non Detect on December 23, 2025 and on published samples from January through May 2026. West Street results of 9.95 ng/L in January and 8.15 ng/L in April 2026 were below Massachusetts’ 20 ng/L PFAS6 MCL.
4. How often does Attleboro test drinking water for bacteria?
The Water Department says it tests weekly at approximately 15 to 18 distribution-system sample points, including remote parts of the City. Coliform bacteria are used as an indicator to verify that disinfection is effective throughout the distribution system.
5. Should I have my Attleboro tap water independently tested?
The public distribution system is already routinely monitored, but private plumbing can affect water quality at an individual property. If you are concerned about lead, an old service line, household pipes, a water heater, filter or a problem isolated to your home, use a Massachusetts-certified drinking-water laboratory and follow the laboratory’s sampling instructions.
6. Does Attleboro test for lead and copper?
Yes. Lead and copper compliance testing uses samples collected at selected customer taps. The 2025 report says 60 samples were required semiannually during that monitoring period. The City collected 58 during the first half of 2025, resulting in a monitoring shortfall, then collected the required number during the second half and reported that it had returned to compliance with the sampling requirement.
7. How much sodium is in Attleboro drinking water?
The City’s Water Department FAQ says sodium is analyzed monthly at both treatment facilities. It lists a latest three-year average of 65 mg/L for the West Street facility and 55 mg/L for the Wading River facility. Customers on medically restricted sodium diets should ask the department for the latest source-specific result.
8. Is Attleboro water hard or soft?
Attleboro describes its water as soft. The Water Department gives an average hardness of approximately 40 to 45 mg/L, or 2.3 to 2.6 grains per gallon, and says additional residential softening is generally unnecessary.
9. Why is my Attleboro water cloudy, brown or chlorine-smelling?
Cloudiness can be caused by entrapped air. Discoloration can occur following hydrant flushing, main breaks, fires, maintenance or other system disturbances. A chlorine smell can result from normal disinfection. If the problem affects only one faucet, check the aerator or local filter; if it affects the entire house and there is no City notice explaining it, contact the Water Department.
10. What is the Attleboro Water Department water-quality phone number?
During office hours, the Water Department can be reached at 774-203-1850 or 508-223-2222 extension 1850. The facility is at 1296 West Street, Attleboro, MA 02703. For urgent water emergencies during nights, weekends and holidays, the current department page lists 774-203-1854.