Understanding what's really in Hanson's well water

A groundwater town, and it shows

Hanson draws its drinking water almost entirely from four wells at the Crystal Spring Well Field off Main Street, with a single backup interconnection to the Brockton Water Department (surface water from Silver Lake) used only when needed. That makes Hanson's water quality story less about industrial contamination and more about what groundwater naturally carries: minerals.

MassDEP's own Source Water Assessment found Hanson's wellfield sits in an aquifer with high vulnerability to contamination — there's no confining clay layer to slow anything moving down from the surface. The groundwater is also naturally corrosive, which is why it's treated with sodium hydroxide before it reaches your tap.

Source: Hanson Water Department 2023–2024 Consumer Confidence Reports; MassDEP monitoring data via EWG's Tap Water Database. See the full breakdown on the Water data page.