Hampden County tap water: hardness, PFAS and lead

Hampden County, Massachusetts has about 464,151 residents (Census 2024 estimate) and 29 community water systems in EPA records. The largest local system is Springfield Water and Sewer Commission, serving about 169,170 people from surface water.

! 2 of 6 largest systems with health-based violationsPFAS detected at 1 of 6 sampled systemsHardness 2.3 gpg (low confidence)

Public-record figures, not a test of your tap. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.

How hard is Hampden County water?

Springfield Water and Sewer Commission Estimate: untreated local water, not your tap · Low confidence

2.3 gpg (39 mg/L), soft

Hampden County: median of 215 results from 99 monitoring sites (streams and wells). Utilities may blend or treat water, so your tap can differ.

Source: Hard Water Map county data, samples through 2021

County estimates: Hard Water Map (hardwatermap.com), CC BY 4.0, derived from the USGS/EPA Water Quality Portal; file generated 2026-07-22. License

Public-record figures, not a test of your tap. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.

Softener size at 2.3 gpg

For a 3-person home using 57 gallons per person per day and regenerating weekly, you'd remove about 2,753 grains between regenerations. Suggested size: 24,000 grain. This uses a low-confidence county estimate, so confirm with a test first.

Estimate only. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.

Open the softener calculator with 2.3 gpg

Largest water systems in Hampden County

The 6 biggest of 29 community water systems on EPA records for this county. Service areas don't follow county lines; your water bill names your provider.

Springfield Water and Sewer Commission

MA1281000 · serves about 169,170 people · Surface water

! 23 health-based violations✓ Lead below action level✓ No PFAS detected

Lead 90th percentile: 3.5 ppb (period starting 2024-01-01). Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

EPA ECHO record

Chicopee Water Dept (Mwra)

MA1061000 · serves about 55,560 people · Surface water

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action level✓ No PFAS detected

Lead 90th percentile: 1.5 ppb (period starting 2024-06-01). Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

EPA ECHO record

Westfield Dpwwater Division

MA1329000 · serves about 41,094 people · Surface water

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action levelPFAS detected (1 type)

Lead 90th percentile: 2.7 ppb (period starting 2025-01-01). Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

  • PFBA: highest sample 5.5 ppt (1 of 14 samples); no federal limit

EPA ECHO record

Holyoke Water Works

MA1137000 · serves about 37,838 people · Surface water

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action level✓ No PFAS detected

Lead 90th percentile: 9 ppb (period starting 2021-01-01) Older result. Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

EPA ECHO record

West Springfield Dpw Water Division

MA1325000 · serves about 28,835 people · Groundwater

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action level✓ No PFAS detected

Lead 90th percentile: 1.6 ppb (period starting 2023-01-01) Older result. Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

EPA ECHO record

Agawam Water Department

MA1005000 · serves about 28,692 people · Surface water

! 7 health-based violations✓ Lead below action level✓ No PFAS detected

Lead 90th percentile: 1.5 ppb (period starting 2023-01-01) Older result. Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

EPA ECHO record

Public-record figures, not a test of your tap. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.

A PFAS detection is not a violation. Federal limits (4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS) apply to running annual averages, with compliance required by 2029. In May 2026 EPA proposed extending the PFOA/PFOS deadline to 2031 and removing other PFAS limits; not final as of 2026-10-21.

Test your own tap

These are public records for whole systems. Your home's pipes, fixtures and any private well can change what you drink. A certified lab test or a hardness test strip gives you your own numbers. Then use our PFAS and lead filter selector to see which certifications to look for.

Common questions about Hampden County water

Is tap water in Hampden County safe to drink?

2 of the 6 largest systems here have at least one health-based violation in EPA records since October 2021 (see each system below for status). Springfield Water and Sewer Commission's most recent lead 90th percentile was 3.5 ppb (2024), below the 15 ppb action level. Public records can't guarantee what comes out of your tap, especially with older plumbing, so a home test is the surest check.

How hard is the water in Hampden County?

There's no published utility figure in our data, but untreated local stream and well samples in Hampden County have a median of about 2.3 grains per gallon (39 mg/L, soft). That's a low-confidence estimate of source water, not your tap, so test before you buy equipment. For a 3-person home at 2.3 gpg, our softener calculator suggests a 24,000 grain unit as a starting point.

Is there PFAS in Hampden County water?

1 of the 6 sampled systems listed here detected at least one PFAS in EPA's UCMR 5 testing. A detection isn't a violation: federal PFAS limits apply to running annual averages starting in 2029.

Which water system serves my address in Hampden County?

Most homes are served by Springfield Water and Sewer Commission or one of the other systems listed on this page, but service areas don't follow county lines. Your water bill names your provider, and its annual Consumer Confidence Report has the full test results.

More Massachusetts counties

Sources for this page

Data as of October 21, 2026. Figures are copied from public records and combined with our own calculations; they can be out of date or wrong. Tapped Out isn't affiliated with any utility or the EPA. Written and reviewed by the Tapped Out team. How we calculate · All sources.