Massachusetts water treatment since 2009
Find out what's in your water.
Then fix only what needs fixing.
Blue Tiger tests Massachusetts homes before recommending anything — because the right system in Worcester is the wrong system in Somerville, and half the softeners sold in Greater Boston shouldn't have been.
Where's your home?
We treat water across eastern and central Massachusetts.
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Sources: MassDEP and Mass.gov private well guidance, MassDEP PFAS sampling programme. Figures describe Massachusetts as a whole, not your individual property — only a certified lab test does that.
The thing nobody tells you
There is no such thing as “Massachusetts water”
Two homes forty miles apart have almost nothing in common at the tap. This is the single most important thing to understand before anyone quotes you equipment.
If you're on MWRA water
Boston & Suffolk-
Hardness~1 grain per gallon
MWRA supply runs about 16 mg/L — exceptionally soft. A softener is almost never the right call here.
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DisinfectantMonochloramine
Needs catalytic carbon and real contact time. Standard carbon filters will not remove it.
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Lead riskIn-building, not source
MWRA water is essentially lead free at the reservoir. Risk is the service line and your own plumbing.
And almost certainly not a water softener. MWRA water is about one grain per gallon — softer than what most softeners produce.
If you're on a private well
Worcester County-
HardnessOften 7-12+ gpg on wells
Central Massachusetts bedrock puts substantially more calcium and magnesium into groundwater than eastern supplies.
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Private wellsVery common
Much of the state's 200,000 private wells sit in central and western Massachusetts.
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Iron & manganeseRoutine
Staining complaints are the most frequent first call we get from this county.
In that order. Running iron-heavy water through a softener first fouls the resin — it's the most common installation error we're called in to correct.
What we install
Systems specified from test results, not from a catalogue
Every one of these is the right answer for some Massachusetts homes and the wrong answer for others. The test is what tells us which.
Whole-Home Filtration
One system on the main line, so every tap, shower and appliance in the house gets treated water — not just the kitchen sink.
- Installs atMain water line
- Typical media life5–7 years
- Service flow7–15 GPM
Water Softeners
Hard water is a real problem in central and western Massachusetts — and genuinely not a problem in most of Greater Boston. We test before we sell.
- Hardness tested inGrains per gallon
- Softener sizingBy gpg × household
- Salt use~40 lb / 4–8 weeks
PFAS Removal
Massachusetts sets a drinking water standard of 20 parts per trillion for six PFAS compounds combined. Here's how to find out where you stand, and what actually removes them.
- MA standard (PFAS6)20 ng/L combined
- Lab requiredMassDEP-certified
- Proven mediaGAC, ion exchange, RO
Well Water Treatment
On a private well, you are the water utility. No state agency tests your water, and no one sends you a report. Here's how to do the job properly.
- Wells in MA~200,000
- Regulated byLocal Board of Health
- Arsenic MCL10 ppb
Reverse Osmosis
The most complete treatment available at a single tap — and the right answer for lead and PFAS in Greater Boston homes with older plumbing.
- Installs atKitchen sink
- Membrane life3–5 years
- Pre/post filtersEvery 6–12 months
Iron & Manganese
Orange staining is iron. Black specks and grey laundry are manganese. Both are common in Massachusetts groundwater, and both need oxidation — not just a filter.
- Iron stains above0.3 mg/L
- Manganese stains above0.05 mg/L
- MethodOxidation + filtration
UV Disinfection
A positive coliform result on a private well is a fixable problem — but UV only works on water that's already clear, which is why it always goes last.
- TreatsColiform, E. coli, cysts
- Dose≥40 mJ/cm²
- Lamp changeAnnually
Carbon Filtration
The workhorse media behind almost every good-tasting glass of water. But there are two kinds, and Massachusetts needs the expensive one.
- Media typesGAC & catalytic
- Chlorine removal>95%
- Media life5-7 years
City Water Treatment
Your town treats the water to a legal standard. That standard stops at the property line, not at your glass.
- MA PFAS6 limit20 ng/L
- Arsenic MCL10 ppb
- Lead action level15 ppb
How it goes
Test first. Quote second. Install third.
In that order, every time. It is the only way to know whether you need a three-thousand-dollar system or a two-hundred-dollar one.
Free in-home water test
We measure hardness in grains per gallon, pH, chlorine or chloramine, iron and total dissolved solids at your tap, and look at your plumbing, water heater and any existing equipment. About 45 minutes, no obligation. Where it's warranted, PFAS, arsenic, radon and bacteria go to a MassDEP-certified laboratory — quoted before any sample is taken.
Straight answers, in writing
Every number read against its standard, what it means for your house, and what we'd do about it. Including the cases where the answer is that you don't need anything from us — which in MWRA communities happens often.
Installed, tested, and proven
Licensed, insured, permitted where your town requires it, and sequenced correctly: sediment, oxidation, softening, specialty media, then UV. We re-test after commissioning, because a system nobody verified is a hope rather than a treatment.
Why Blue Tiger
We make money installing systems. We stay in business by not overselling them.
Water treatment has a reputation problem in Massachusetts, and it's earned. Free tests that find a problem at every single house. Softeners sold into Boston neighbourhoods with one-grain water. Systems installed in the wrong sequence that fail within two years. Here's how we work instead.
- We tell you when the answer is nothing. On MWRA water that happens often, and it's why those customers call us back for the work they do need.
- Certified lab, not a test strip. Massachusetts requires a MassDEP-certified laboratory for the numbers that matter. We use one, and you get the report.
- Sequence over sales. Sediment, then oxidation, then softening, then specialty media, then UV. Get the order wrong and the system fails regardless of what you paid.
- We re-test after commissioning. A PFAS or arsenic system nobody verified is a hope, not a treatment.
- Written, itemised quotes. Before anything is ordered, with the flow rate and grain capacity we designed for stated on the page.
Where we work
Massachusetts water changes every few miles
Bedrock, aquifer and supply all shift across the state. Each area page has the local profile — what your water is likely doing and what actually fixes it.
Middlesex County
The state's largest county, and its most mixed water. MWRA towns and private wells sit within a few miles of each other.
Local water profileEssex County
Essex County has some of the hardest municipal water in the state, plus glacial aquifers carrying iron, manganese and arsenic.
Local water profileSuffolk County
Every home in Suffolk County drinks MWRA water. That makes the correct system here unusually predictable — and it is almost never a softener.
Local water profileNorfolk County
Largely MWRA territory, which means soft water and chloramine — with private wells appearing as you move south and west.
Local water profileWorcester County
Central Massachusetts is where hardness is genuinely a problem — and where the state's private wells are most concentrated.
Local water profilePlymouth County
Sand and gravel aquifers give the South Shore soft, acidic water — and acidic water attacks the pipes inside your house.
Local water profileBarnstable County (Cape Cod)
The entire Cape drinks from one sole-source aquifer. It is shallow, sandy and acidic, and septic density puts genuine nitrate pressure on it.
Local water profileStraight answers
Questions we get asked every week
Do I really need a water filter in Massachusetts?
It depends entirely on where your water comes from, and that's not a dodge — it's the whole answer. If you're on MWRA water in Greater Boston, your water is soft and well treated, and the honest recommendation is usually carbon for chloramine and reverse osmosis for drinking water, not a softener. If you're on a private well anywhere in the state, nobody is testing your water at all, and a full panel is genuinely worth doing. We test first and tell you which situation you're in.
How much does a water filtration system cost in Massachusetts?
Anywhere from a few hundred dollars for a point-of-use system to several thousand for a complete well treatment train handling iron, manganese, hardness, arsenic and bacteria. The number depends on what your water actually contains, which is why we test before quoting rather than after. You get lab results and an itemised written quote, and nothing gets installed until you've seen both.
Is the water test really free?
The in-home test is free and there's no obligation attached to it. We measure hardness, pH, chlorine or chloramine, iron and total dissolved solids at your tap, and walk you through what each number means. Specialised lab analysis — PFAS, arsenic, radon, bacteria — goes to a MassDEP-certified laboratory and is quoted separately before any sample is taken. You'll never be surprised by a charge.
Does Massachusetts require me to test my private well?
There's no statewide mandate to test an existing well on a schedule. Private wells are regulated by your local Board of Health, and requirements vary town to town — most towns require testing when a well is drilled and when a property is sold. That means a well that hasn't been tested in fifteen years is completely normal here. All testing must be done by a MassDEP-certified laboratory.
What is the PFAS limit in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts sets a drinking water standard of 20 nanograms per litre — 20 parts per trillion — for six PFAS compounds combined: PFOS, PFOA, PFNA, PFHxS, PFDA and PFHpA. That standard applies to public water systems. It does not apply to private wells, where MassDEP recommends testing especially if you're within one to two miles of a known PFAS source.
How long does installation take, and will my water be off?
A standard whole-home system is three to five hours with the water off for part of that. Under-sink reverse osmosis is usually two to three hours with minimal disruption. Full well treatment trains can run a full day. We tell you which yours is when we quote it, not when we arrive.
Do you service systems you didn't install?
Yes. A good share of our work is correcting systems installed by someone else — most often a softener fouled by untreated iron, or a carbon filter specified for chlorine on a chloramine supply. We'll tell you honestly whether yours is worth servicing or replacing.
Free in-home water test
Find out what's actually in your water
The in-home test is free, takes about 45 minutes, and ends with a written report — including the parts where the answer is that you don't need anything from us.
- Hardness in grains per gallon, pH, chlorine or chloramine, iron and TDS — measured at your tap.
- PFAS, arsenic, radon and bacteria through a MassDEP-certified laboratory, quoted before any sample is taken.
- Every number read against its standard, in writing, with no obligation.
Request your test
2 minutesWe'll be in touch shortly to confirm a time for your free in-home water test. If it's urgent, call (508) 686-1582 and we'll pick up.