Environmental hazards, flood and water records in Boston, MA
Public environmental, infrastructure and surveillance records inside Boston's municipal boundary, plus the regional air, drinking-water, flood, radon and Superfund context that does not stop at the town line. Each item links to its original record. Nothing here is a risk score.
Explore Boston on the map ↗ Check a specific address in Boston See a sample brief
Separate historic waste records from present operations
The South Bay record belongs to the historic combustion inventory. When investigating a nearby property, ask for the site history and any cleanup or land-use restrictions; use regional air records to investigate present-day emissions.
SOUTH BAY INCINERATOR · Source status: Historic; not in the current MassDEP combustion layer
Source-backed investigation note · explanation updated September 14, 2026. Record dates remain those of the linked source.
Who to ask in Boston
Start with Boston's health department for local environmental questions, the conservation office for wetlands and local flood records, and the building department for parcel-related permits. Find Boston's official department directory ↗.
For drinking water, confirm the household connection and ask the listed supplier for its latest water-quality report: BOSTON WATER AND SEWER COMMISSION (MWRA). See the dated results and boundary limitations below.
Counts are records inside the municipal boundary, not unique facilities and not a ranking. Sources carry different dates (June 2024 for MassDEP waste layers, TRI 2024, OpenStreetMap Sept 2026). Community-mapped items are unverified. No record does not prove absence.
Records inside Boston
The most consequential categories first. Open a record for its EPA compliance history, reported chemicals, what the record can and cannot tell you, and who to ask next.
Incinerators Agency record
Landfills Agency record
Hazardous-waste facilities Agency compliance record
- BRIGHAM AND WOMENS FAULKNER HOSPITAL Significant non-complier
- D AND M AUTO DOCTOR Significant non-complier
Industrial reporting Facility self-report + EPA compliance
Cleanup sites Agency record
- 69-71 PROCTOR STREET
- 1 ELLERY STREET
- 1010 HARRISON AVE
- 1121 DORCHESTER AVE
- 120 HAMPDEN ST
- 1207 DORCHESTER AVENUE
- 1240 SOLDIERS FIELD ROAD
- 1257 AND 1263 SARATOGA ST
+ 199 more on the map.
Transfer stations Agency record
- HOWARD TRANSFER STATION
Transmission lines Archived geometry
- 115 kV transmission line
- 115 kV transmission line
- 115 kV transmission line
- 115 kV transmission line
- 115 kV transmission line
- 115 kV transmission line
- 115 kV transmission line
- 115 kV transmission line
+ 23 more on the map.
Communications Community mapped
- Communications tower / antenna
- Communications tower / antenna
- Communications tower / antenna
- Communications tower / antenna
- Communications tower / antenna
- Communications tower / antenna
- Communications tower / antenna
- Communications tower / antenna
+ 5 more on the map.
Mapped cameras Community mapped
- Area I-93 NB tunnel ent., Atlantic & Northern Aves
- I-90 MassPike at Allston-Brighton tolls
- I-90 MassPike exit to I-93 NB from I-90 WB
- I-90 MassPike traffic EB Exit 24 A/B/C WB I-93
- I-93 - Zakim Bridge
- I-93 SB on ramp from Purchase St. at Congress St.
- I-93 SB prior to South Bay Mall
- I-93 at Boston Sand & Gravel
+ 1266 more on the map.
Beyond the town line
Air pollution follows wind and stack height, water comes from wherever the supplier draws it, and a Superfund plume ignores municipal boundaries. These items are searched from the town's center across state lines.
Incinerators within 30 miles
- WHEELABRATOR SAUGUS INC
- PET MEMORIAL PARK
- WHEELABRATOR NORTH ANDOVER INCORPORATED
A 30-mile extent is EPA's air-modeling distance for toxic releases, used here as a search limit, not a danger radius.
Superfund sites within 10 miles
Largest reported air releases within 30 miles
- IDEAL TAPE CO
- NORKING CO INC
- CALPINE FORE RIVER ENERGY CENTER LLC
- ENTEGRIS INC
- DUNCAN GALVANIZING CORP.
- CPS TECHNOLOGIES CORP
Pounds are facility self-reports, not concentrations in Boston, and chemicals differ widely in toxicity. How to read TRI and ECHO records ↗
Drinking water, radon, air quality, flood
Community water systems serving Boston
- BOSTON WATER AND SEWER COMMISSION (MWRA) No health-based violations since 2021-01-01
Boundaries are estimates and do not verify a household connection. Sample results are at treatment or entry points, not at a tap. Drinking-water questions to ask ↗ · PFAS explained ↗
Radon, particle pollution, flood
Radon: Suffolk County is EPA Zone 3, the lowest predicted potential (below 2 pCi/L). EPA says the zone map must not be used to decide whether to test; homes in every zone have measured high levels. Testing guidance ↗
Fine particles (PM2.5): nearest regulatory monitor DUDLEY SQUARE ROXBURY (Boston, MA, 0.8 mi) measured a 2025 annual mean of 5.7 µg/m³; the annual standard adopted in 2024 is 9.0 µg/m³ on a three-year design value. A monitor reports its own location, not Boston.
Flood: FEMA flood zones are point-specific. Use the map to query the National Flood Hazard Layer live at an address. Flood questions to ask ↗
Major roads: 2949 mapped motorway, trunk or primary segments cross Boston. Road proximity is a cue for traffic noise and emissions, not a measurement. More ↗
Documented surveillance technology in Boston
Agency-level records from the EFF Atlas of Surveillance. These describe documented technology use, not device locations or current operation.
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection - Boston Logan International Airport · Face Recognition
- Boston Police Department · Drones
- Boston Police Department · Cell-site Simulator · Tactical Support Equipment
- Boston Regional Intelligence Center · Fusion Center
- Boston Police Department · Gunshot Detection · ShotSpotter
- Massachusetts Department of Transportation · Face Recognition
- Boston Police Department · Automated License Plate Readers · ELSAG
- Boston Police Department · Body-worn Cameras · Axon
- Suffolk County Sheriff's Office · Third-party Investigative Platforms · SoundThinking
- Boston Police Department · Third-party Investigative Platforms · SoundThinking
+ 1 more in the Privacy search.
Do not use registry information to commit a crime, harass anyone or engage in illegal discrimination. Massachusetts law prohibits these uses. These town totals are not individual background checks or eligibility decisions.
Sex offender registry information in Boston, Massachusetts
1,021 registered people in the historical city total published for Boston in the table labeled 2024. This is not a current count or a count within your address search radius.
For current public records, open the official Massachusetts registry search and select Boston.
Published municipal totals are not a crime rate or safety rating. The city table does not separate registry classifications and is not equivalent to public online search counts. Read the registry coverage guide.
Table labeled 2024 · source date as printed: August 5, 2024 · Official report, Table 7, page 24.
Questions worth asking before you commit
Compiled from the guides for the record types actually present in or near Boston.
Environmental regulator
Request the current air permit, recent stack tests and any published dispersion study. (Incinerators & waste-to-energy)
Request groundwater and gas monitoring, closure plans and any off-site migration findings. (Landfills & land-disposal sites)
Request the inspection reports behind the current violation and the corrective-action status. (Hazardous-waste facilities (RCRA))
Request the latest site investigation, plume maps, cleanup status and any activity/use limitations. (Cleanup sites & historic contamination)
Review chemical-specific emissions, inspections and the underlying documents for any violation. (Industrial releases & air-program facilities)
Ask whether nearby private wells or indoor air have been sampled and what the results were. (Superfund (National Priorities List) sites)
Facility operator
Which pollutants are monitored, how often, and are results public? (Incinerators & waste-to-energy)
Ask which wastes are handled, what monitoring is done and whether results are public. (Hazardous-waste facilities (RCRA))
Ask which emissions controls and monitoring apply to the relevant process. (Industrial releases & air-program facilities)
Local health department
Are there monitoring studies or investigated odor/air complaints for this area? (Incinerators & waste-to-energy)
Water supplier / well professional
Confirm the drinking-water source and whether site-related contaminants have been tested. (Landfills & land-disposal sites)
Seller / inspector
Ask about recorded land-use restrictions and any environmental reports for the parcel. (Landfills & land-disposal sites)
Request environmental disclosures and maintenance records for any mitigation system. (Cleanup sites & historic contamination)
Check any tower lease/easement, lighting and generator-noise concerns. (Communications towers & antennas)
Confirm municipal water versus private well and request available water-quality and plumbing records. (Drinking water & groundwater)
For a private well, request PFAS test results or arrange a test with a certified laboratory. (PFAS in drinking water)
Request dated radon test results and any mitigation-system records. (Radon inside the home)
Request flood and water-intrusion history, drainage repairs and elevation documents. (Flood context)
Visit during rush hour and at night; assess window and ventilation conditions. (Major roads & traffic)
Local permitting department
Check operating hours, truck-route conditions and enforcement records. (Transfer stations & other waste facilities)
Seller / neighbors
Visit on a working weekday and ask about truck traffic, noise and odors. (Transfer stations & other waste facilities)
Qualified environmental professional
Determine whether site-specific vapor, soil or well testing is appropriate. (Cleanup sites & historic contamination)
Environmental professional
Look for a published dispersion or exposure assessment before interpreting personal risk. (Industrial releases & air-program facilities)
Title professional / utility
Confirm the recorded easement, access rights and restrictions on structures or vegetation. (Transmission lines)
Qualified field-measurement professional
If this is a concern, discuss appropriate measurements and their limitations. (Transmission lines)
Planning department / operator
Request the equipment description, siting permit and applicable RF compliance assessment. (Communications towers & antennas)
Agency / device operator
Request the current collection, retention, access and sharing policy. (Cameras, plate readers & privacy)
Agency records office
Ask for the deployment approval, contract, audit policy and oversight reports. (Cameras, plate readers & privacy)
EPA site manager / community involvement coordinator
Request the current site status, the operable-unit boundaries, plume maps and any five-year review findings. (Superfund (National Priorities List) sites)
Title professional
Check for recorded activity and use limitations or easements tied to the cleanup. (Superfund (National Priorities List) sites)
Water supplier
Confirm service to the address and request the latest Consumer Confidence Report and relevant sampling results. (Drinking water & groundwater)
Ask for the most recent PFAS results, the treatment in place and the compliance schedule if a limit was exceeded. (PFAS in drinking water)
Certified laboratory / local health department
For a private well, discuss a testing panel appropriate to local conditions. (Drinking water & groundwater)
State drinking-water program
Ask whether the system is under a PFAS order and where the public notices are. (PFAS in drinking water)
Qualified radon professional
Arrange appropriate testing and discuss mitigation if results warrant it. (Radon inside the home)
Local floodplain administrator
Confirm the effective map, any map revisions and building-specific requirements. (Flood context)
Insurer
Obtain a property-specific flood insurance quote and coverage explanation. (Flood context)
Transportation department
Request recent traffic counts, truck routes and planned road changes. (Major roads & traffic)
Neighboring towns
Brookline · Cambridge · Canton · Dedham · Everett · Milton · Needham · Newton · Quincy · Revere · Somerville · Watertown · Winthrop
Sources: MassDEP solid waste (June 2024) and tier-classified sites, EPA TRI 2023–2024, EPA ECHO (retrieved 2026-10-03), EPA NPL, EPA AQS, EPA UCMR 5, EPA SDWIS, MassDEP water service areas, EPA radon zones, HIFLD, OpenStreetMap (ODbL), EFF Atlas of Surveillance (CC BY). Guidance reviewed 2026-09-13. Methodology and limits · Report a problem with a record.