By the state's combined PFAS6 measure (20 ppt), yes — ND–13.0 ppt system-wide in 2023. By the newer, stricter federal individual PFOA limit (4 ppt), it's more complicated: the Furnace Brook #1A well tested at 4.85 ppt in July 2024, and reporting indicates two other wells also test above 4 ppt. See the full breakdown on our Water data page.
Every water utility publishes an annual Consumer Confidence Report listing every contaminant it tested for, the detected range, and the legal limit. Watch for the difference between a primary standard (MCL, health-based and enforceable), a secondary standard (SMCL, aesthetic and non-enforceable), and a guideline like MassDEP's ORSG (non-enforceable).
If your home is on a private well rather than the Marshfield DPW system, none of the municipal testing above applies to you directly. Massachusetts DEP recommends private well owners test independently, since well water isn't subject to Safe Drinking Water Act monitoring requirements.
Marshfield's own combined PFAS6 result is genuinely clean, but the compound-level picture — a documented 4.85 ppt PFOA reading at one well, reportedly echoed at two others — is exactly the kind of gap a household filter can close regardless of which specific well serves your street. A few reasonable options, matched to what's actually shown up in this system's own data:
Effective against chlorine taste and odor, many disinfection byproducts, and some PFAS compounds, depending on the specific carbon media and contact time. Common in pitcher filters, faucet-mount units, and whole-house systems — notably, three of Marshfield's own Furnace Brook wells already use activated carbon filtration for VOCs before the water reaches your tap.
The most thorough household option for PFAS and a broad range of dissolved contaminants. Typically installed under a kitchen sink for drinking and cooking water specifically — a reasonable choice if you want certainty on PFOA regardless of which well or connection currently serves your address.
Look for filters independently certified for PFOA/PFOS reduction specifically (NSF/ANSI Standard 53 or 58), rather than taking a manufacturer's general "removes contaminants" claim at face value.
Not sure where to start? A free household water test is the easiest way to figure out whether filtration makes sense for your specific home, and if so, which approach fits.