PFAS Removal
PFAS Removal & Treatment in Massachusetts
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.
At a glance
PFAS Removal- MA standard (PFAS6)20 ng/L combined
- Lab requiredMassDEP-certified
- Proven mediaGAC, ion exchange, RO
- Detection unitParts per trillion
Figures are typical ranges for Massachusetts installations. Your system is specified from your own test results.
What Massachusetts actually regulates
The Massachusetts drinking water standard for public water supplies is 20 nanograms per litre — 20 parts per trillion — for six PFAS compounds added together: PFOS, PFOA, PFNA, PFHxS, PFDA and PFHpA. The trade shorthand is PFAS6. That standard applies to public water systems, which are tested routinely and publish results. It does not apply to your private well, because nobody is testing your private well unless you arrange it. Federal rules are moving as well: EPA published proposed revisions to the PFAS national primary drinking water regulation in May 2026, and MassDEP received a primacy extension in March 2026 to align state rules with the federal standard.
Private wells are the real exposure
There are roughly 200,000 private wells in Massachusetts serving about half a million residents, concentrated in the central and western parts of the state — 85 communities get at least 60% of their water from private wells. When MassDEP sampled, roughly 15% of tested private wells came back above EPA's PFAS limits. MassDEP's own guidance is that any private well within one to two miles of a known PFAS source, or of a supply where PFAS has been detected, should be tested. Nothing about that happens automatically. It happens because a homeowner picks up the phone.
What removes PFAS, and what doesn't
Three technologies have real, documented removal: granular activated carbon, anion exchange resin, and reverse osmosis. Which one belongs in your house depends on your measured concentration, which compounds are present, your flow rate, and whether you're treating the whole house or just drinking water. Boiling does not remove PFAS — it concentrates it. Standard sediment filters do nothing. A pitcher filter not specifically certified for PFAS reduction does nothing. We test through a MassDEP-certified lab, show you the actual numbers against the 20 ppt standard, and then specify — and we re-test after installation, because a PFAS system you haven't verified is a hope, not a treatment.
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.
Straight answers
PFAS Removal — common questions
How much does PFAS testing cost?
PFAS analysis is a specialised lab test and costs more than a standard panel. We include it in the scope we quote before any sample is taken, so you see the number first. If you're on MWRA or another public supply, start with your town's annual Consumer Confidence Report — that's free, and we'll read it with you.
Does a refrigerator filter remove PFAS?
Almost never. Unless the filter is specifically certified to NSF/ANSI 53 or 58 for PFOA and PFOS reduction, assume it does not. Most fridge filters are carbon blocks designed for taste, chlorine and sediment.
My town's water tested below 20 ppt. Am I fine?
You're within the Massachusetts standard, which is the right benchmark to use. Some homeowners still choose point-of-use reverse osmosis for drinking and cooking water because the standard is a regulatory limit rather than a guarantee of zero. That's a personal call, and we'll give you the numbers to make it rather than making it for you.
Free in-home water test
Let's find out whether you actually need this
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.