North Adams Issues Drinking Water Warning
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city issues a Drinking Water Warning Monday urging residents to boil water before using.
On Dec. 14, 2025, a water main break occurred on the North Adams water system on State Road and another leak was found on American Legion Drive. This results in insufficient water to maintain safe water pressure or reliable service in our distribution system.
Massachusetts drinking water standards require public water systems to maintain 20 pounds per square inch (psi) of pressure at each service connection to ensure safe water to our customers. These circumstances warranted advising those customers who lost service and those whose pressures dropped to below 20 psi to boil their tap water upon resumption of water service.
Due to the multiple leaks and low pressures found throughout the system, the city is issuing the boil water requirement to the entire water system.
Loss of pressure can result in backflow of water through and into the distribution system and may result in bacterial contamination. As a result, customers in the affected area are encouraged to boil their water and MassDEP is requiring the issuance of this public notice as a precautionary measure.
According to a post made on North Adams City Hall's Facebook page:
- DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.
- Refer to the MassDEP website for the following information.
- Discard all ice, beverages, uncooked foods, and formula made with tap water collected on or after Sunday, December 14, 2025.
- Food establishments must follow MA DPH procedures and the direction of their local board of health, which may be more stringent than the DPH guide.
- While no bacteria samples have confirmed the presence of bacteria. This notice is being issued as a precaution. However, pressure loss and discolored or turbid water due to breaks or changes in the distribution system may be related to the presence of disease causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria and viruses which can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems.
- The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice from their health care providers about drinking this water.
The city has issued a reverse 911 message to all of our residents/customers affected by the event. The city is currently working to repair the water main break(s). They will verify adequate pressure and will collect bacteria samples to confirm adequate water quality of the distribution system so that MassDEP can lift this boil water requirement.
Residents will be know when you are no longer advised to boil water due to this incident and will provide updates as we are able.
For more information, contact the North Adams Water Department at (413)-662-3157. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
Tags: drinking water, water main,
