One water system, two towns
Abington doesn't run its own water utility. It's a joint owner, alongside Rockland, of the Abington-Rockland Joint Water Works (ARJWW) — a single combined system, under one EPA/MassDEP public water system ID, governed by a Joint Board of Water Commissioners representing both towns. Three treatment plants (Myers Avenue in Abington, Hannigan in Rockland, and Great Sandy Bottom Pond in Pembroke) draw from four gravel-packed wells beneath Abington and two surface reservoirs, blending into one distribution network.
That shared structure means Abington and Rockland residents are, functionally, drinking the same water and reading the same test results — this isn't a wholesale-purchase arrangement like some neighboring towns have, it's genuine joint ownership. It also means Abington's most consequential water story of the last five years — a PFAS exceedance that triggered a $26 million treatment project — is really an Abington-Rockland story.
| Issue | What happened | Status |
|---|---|---|
| PFAS6 (combined) | 22.9 ppt at Hannigan source, Mar 2021; MCL exceedances again Q2–Q3 2024 | Hannigan plant: non-detect since Mar 2026. Myers Ave: pilot treatment, below limit, permanent system underway |
| TTHM / HAA5 (disinfection byproducts) | MCL violations, 2014–2015, tied to a low-flow sampling site | No recurrence reported since |
| Total coliform / E. coli | MCL violation, May 2025; boil-water order issued | Resolved within ~72 hours; all follow-up samples clear |
| Lead service lines | System-wide inventory, 2024 | No lead, galvanized-requiring-replacement, or unknown lines found |
Sources: MassDEP/EPA SDWIS violation records; Town of Abington and Rockland-MA.gov public notices; see the full breakdown with citations on the Water data page.
