Water Quality in Massachusetts

525 water systems • 330 cities • EPA SDWIS Data

525
Water Systems
10,561
Total Violations
937
Health-Based Violations
10,050,324
Population Served

Overview

Massachusetts has 525 active community water systems serving 10,050,324 people. These systems have accumulated 10,561 EPA Safe Drinking Water Act violations on record, of which 937 are health-based violations (meaning a contaminant exceeded safe levels).

Common contaminants found in violations: Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5), Fecal Coliform, Disinfection Byproducts, Chlorine Dioxide, E. coli, Gross Alpha, TTHM, Bromate, Chlorine, Nitrate.

Cities with Most Violations in Massachusetts

# City Violations Health-Based Water Systems Population
1 Attleboro 397 2 2 47,088
2 Hudson 366 0 1 20,032
3 Newberry 298 4 1 150
4 Norfolk 276 1 1 7,602
5 Holliston 231 12 1 15,713
6 Nantucket 200 1 2 30,703
7 Auburn 155 2 2 14,533
8 Pepperell 155 2 1 9,217
9 Bernardston 152 2 1 1,462
10 West Boylston 129 0 1 7,132

Largest Cities in Massachusetts

# City Population Violations Water Systems
1 Chelsea 2,698,319 10 2
2 Boston 675,937 6 3
3 Worcester 206,927 44 6
4 Springfield 168,055 120 3
5 Beverly 137,791 29 2
6 Cambridge 118,214 78 1
7 Lowell 115,150 13 2
8 North Dighton 112,207 51 3
9 Quincy 106,000 3 1
10 Brockton 105,643 8 1

All Cities in Massachusetts

City Population Violations Health Violations Contaminants
Chelsea 2,698,319 10 7 Disinfection Byproducts
Boston 675,937 6 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Worcester 206,927 44 3 Disinfection Byproducts, E. coli, Total Organic Carbon
Springfield 168,055 120 27 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)
Beverly 137,791 29 0
Cambridge 118,214 78 0
Lowell 115,150 13 7 Disinfection Byproducts
North Dighton 112,207 51 5 TTHM
Quincy 106,000 3 3 Disinfection Byproducts
Brockton 105,643 8 5 TTHM
Lynn 101,253 0 0
New Bedford 101,146 3 0
Falmouth 97,551 9 6 Contaminant 1039, Disinfection Byproducts, E. coli +1 more
Fall River 94,000 43 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Lawrence 88,877 9 2 Disinfection Byproducts
Newton 88,415 8 4 Disinfection Byproducts
Somerville 81,045 7 6 Disinfection Byproducts
Sandwich 79,250 1 0
Framingham 72,362 3 3 Disinfection Byproducts
Malden 66,263 10 7 Chlorine, Disinfection Byproducts
Waltham 65,258 16 5 Disinfection Byproducts
South Dennis 65,000 38 0
Haverhill 63,235 40 0
Brookline 63,191 4 4 Disinfection Byproducts
Revere 62,186 7 5 Disinfection Byproducts
Taunton 62,165 40 0
Medford 61,700 11 8 Disinfection Byproducts
Weymouth 59,413 5 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Holbrook 57,172 16 2 Disinfection Byproducts
Chicopee 55,638 18 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Peabody 54,481 33 3 Disinfection Byproducts
Methuen 53,059 3 0
Osterville 50,000 78 0
Everett 49,075 7 6 Chlorine, Disinfection Byproducts
Attleboro 47,088 397 2 TTHM
Plymouth 47,016 111 5 Disinfection Byproducts
Arlington 46,308 7 3 Disinfection Byproducts
Hingham 45,723 41 0
Salem 44,480 0 0
Pittsfield 43,952 4 1 Fecal Coliform
Billerica 42,119 7 7 Contaminant 1011
Fitchburg 41,976 3 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Leominster 41,808 15 5 Disinfection Byproducts, Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)
Marlborough 41,799 8 0
Dedham 41,630 1 1 TTHM
Westfield 41,594 23 2 Disinfection Byproducts, E. coli
Woburn 40,876 6 3 Disinfection Byproducts
Holyoke 40,124 40 0
Amherst 39,263 6 3 Fecal Coliform
Braintree 39,168 9 0
Harwich 39,144 0 0
Milford 39,091 27 8 Disinfection Byproducts, TTHM
West Yarmouth 38,900 11 2 E. coli
Shrewsbury 38,457 4 0
Gloucester 37,440 2 0
Mattapoisett 37,285 1 1 Gross Alpha
Mashpee 37,034 5 0
Natick 37,006 2 0
Andover 36,569 9 3 Disinfection Byproducts
Brewster 36,330 77 0
Dracut 35,409 9 0
Middleton 35,342 9 0
Watertown 35,329 5 4 Disinfection Byproducts
Hyannis 35,000 4 0
Randolph 34,362 8 0
Lexington 34,074 5 4 Disinfection Byproducts
Marshfield 34,000 12 2 E. coli
Tewksbury 33,842 13 4 TTHM
Rockland 33,647 8 5 E. coli, TTHM
Franklin 33,399 2 0
Needham 33,130 3 3 Disinfection Byproducts
Wellesley 32,630 7 4 Contaminant 1039, Disinfection Byproducts, E. coli
Millbury 32,579 69 5 Chlorine, Disinfection Byproducts, E. coli
Chelmsford 31,550 51 0
North Andover 30,915 1 0
Nantucket 30,703 200 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Chatham 30,000 1 0
Norwood 29,909 5 5 Disinfection Byproducts
Northampton 29,571 5 2 Disinfection Byproducts, Fecal Coliform
Melrose 29,357 9 9 Disinfection Byproducts
Stoughton 29,281 4 1 Disinfection Byproducts
West Springfield 28,987 9 0
North Attleborough 28,863 5 0
Agawam 28,692 18 10 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)
Bridgewater 28,633 18 0
Milton 28,630 6 5 Disinfection Byproducts
Reading 27,358 7 3 E. coli
Belmont 27,295 5 4 Disinfection Byproducts
Wakefield 27,090 6 5 Disinfection Byproducts
Saugus 27,082 4 4 Disinfection Byproducts
Bedford 26,842 29 8 E. coli
Burlington 26,680 18 0
Dartmouth 24,630 33 22 E. coli, TTHM, Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)
Walpole 24,070 2 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Oak Bluffs 24,000 4 0
Mansfield 23,289 5 0
Stoneham 23,244 8 7 Disinfection Byproducts, E. coli
South Easton 23,112 0 0
Winchester 22,970 2 0
Pocasset 22,500 2 0
Wilmington 22,481 6 5 Disinfection Byproducts, E. coli
Canton 22,453 1 0
Provincetown 22,250 1 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Westborough 22,033 120 2 E. coli, Gross Alpha
Parkwood Beach 21,418 10 3 E. coli
Gardner 21,287 3 2 Disinfection Byproducts, Fecal Coliform
South Hadley 21,000 1 1 Chlorine
Acton 20,928 59 1 E. coli
Marblehead 20,441 3 3 Disinfection Byproducts
Newburyport 20,335 4 2 Disinfection Byproducts, TTHM
Hudson 20,032 366 0
Salisbury 20,000 2 0
Winthrop 19,316 6 5 Disinfection Byproducts
Scituate 19,297 44 9 Disinfection Byproducts, E. coli, TTHM
Southbridge 19,180 0 0
Norton 19,161 10 9 TTHM
Orleans 18,921 76 0
Sudbury 18,880 8 0
Concord 18,874 7 5 Contaminant 1011
Ashland 18,832 5 2 Disinfection Byproducts
Westford 18,776 11 0
Foxborough 18,639 4 0
Somerset 18,303 18 18 TTHM
Pembroke 18,251 3 3 Gross Alpha
Holden 17,951 2 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Webster 17,776 12 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Greenfield 17,645 4 1 Bromate
Swansea 17,410 65 20 Fecal Coliform, TTHM
Amesbury 17,366 2 0
Sharon 16,991 1 0
Duxbury 16,437 7 0
Easthampton 16,211 3 0
East Longmeadow 16,161 22 12 TTHM, Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)
Bellingham 16,061 34 23 TTHM
North Reading 16,054 11 9 Disinfection Byproducts, E. coli, TTHM
Longmeadow 15,815 41 26 Chlorine, TTHM, Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)
Holliston 15,713 231 12 TTHM, Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)
Clinton 15,530 6 2 Disinfection Byproducts, Fecal Coliform
Middleborough 15,518 5 1 E. coli
Swampscott 15,175 4 4 Disinfection Byproducts
Ashburnham 15,074 11 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Hanover 14,984 67 21 TTHM
Raynham 14,951 0 0
Whitman 14,837 6 0
Kingston 14,712 23 4 E. coli
Seekonk 14,704 1 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Auburn 14,533 155 2 Barium
East Bridgewater 14,526 10 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Fairhaven 14,470 4 4 E. coli
Northborough 13,535 0 0
Lynnfield 13,389 12 3 Disinfection Byproducts
Wayland 13,196 4 1 Disinfection Byproducts
North Adams 13,160 43 2 Chlorine, Fecal Coliform
Medway 13,115 19 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Ipswich 13,090 7 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Hopkinton 13,041 13 0
Medfield 12,894 15 3 E. coli
Wrentham 12,792 66 30 E. coli, Total Organic Carbon
Weston 11,941 6 6 Disinfection Byproducts
Uxbridge 11,525 3 3 E. coli
Norwell 11,495 4 0
Grafton 11,389 67 0
Southborough 10,514 0 0
Athol 10,468 4 0
Maynard 10,401 30 12 TTHM
Ware 10,131 14 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Lenox 10,025 6 1 Gross Alpha
Rockport 10,000 3 2 Disinfection Byproducts
Blackstone 9,868 5 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Littleton 9,611 7 0
Hanson 9,546 0 0
Pepperell 9,217 155 2 Disinfection Byproducts
Millis 9,002 6 0
Plainville 8,805 26 20 Fecal Coliform, TTHM, Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)
Georgetown 8,766 28 2 Disinfection Byproducts, TTHM
Wilbraham 8,533 4 1 E. coli
Ayer 8,479 12 0
Acushnet 8,469 12 0
Bourne 8,300 6 0
Turners Falls 8,080 2 0
Edgartown 8,027 0 0
Whitinsville 7,983 18 3 Fecal Coliform
Northbridge 7,889 9 0
West Bridgewater 7,856 3 0
Adams 7,851 0 0
Southwick 7,646 3 0
Norfolk 7,602 276 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Williamstown 7,601 4 0
Halifax 7,593 105 0
Cohasset 7,555 83 1 Disinfection Byproducts
North Chelmsford 7,498 2 0
Hamilton 7,377 4 4 Disinfection Byproducts, Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)
Groton 7,359 5 0
Merrimac 7,193 122 3 Disinfection Byproducts
Lunenburg 7,145 1 0
West Boylston 7,132 129 0
Spencer 7,082 21 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Sterling 6,754 13 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Groveland 6,743 1 0
Orange 6,526 0 0
Devens 6,500 4 1 Gross Alpha
Townsend 6,500 25 0
Dalton 6,330 1 0
Rowley 6,283 85 5 Disinfection Byproducts
Great Barrington 6,266 113 13 Chlorine, Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)
Eastham 6,247 3 0
Baldwinville 6,152 4 0
Tisbury 6,082 53 1 Gross Alpha
Hopedale 6,017 4 2 Fecal Coliform
Lancaster 6,000 3 1 Gross Alpha
Otis Angb 6,000 4 2 E. coli, Stage 2 DBP
Marion 5,761 5 3 E. coli
Winchendon 5,706 3 2 Disinfection Byproducts
Rutland 5,675 34 16 E. coli, cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene
Barnstable 5,622 2 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Lincoln 5,593 5 2 Disinfection Byproducts, TTHM
Dudley 5,515 7 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Lee 5,463 8 2 Disinfection Byproducts, E. coli
Topsfield 5,435 7 2 Disinfection Byproducts
Onset 5,392 30 1 E. coli
Manchester by the Sea 5,170 12 3 Disinfection Byproducts
Sturbridge 4,969 8 3 E. coli
Cotuit 4,938 3 0
Hadley 4,871 7 0
Southampton 4,853 2 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Palmer 4,837 11 3 Fecal Coliform
Avon 4,777 4 2 Chlorine Dioxide, Disinfection Byproducts
South Deerfield 4,700 26 5 Chlorine, Disinfection Byproducts, E. coli
Leicester 4,700 7 0
Tyngsborough 4,682 88 4 Chlorine Dioxide, Disinfection Byproducts
Sagamore Beach 4,668 0 0
Upton 4,420 129 0
Douglas 4,400 0 0
Paxton 4,300 1 0
Monson 4,212 0 0
Barre 4,212 65 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Shirley 4,121 13 0
Westminster 3,992 25 9 Disinfection Byproducts, TTHM
Wenham 3,942 2 1 Disinfection Byproducts
North Brookfield 3,903 8 2 Disinfection Byproducts
Belchertown 3,835 25 4 Chlorine Dioxide, E. coli
Boylston 3,723 35 3 Disinfection Byproducts, E. coli
Rochdale 3,696 48 48 E. coli, Fecal Coliform, TTHM
Essex 3,675 1 0
Nahant 3,334 9 4 Disinfection Byproducts
Sunderland 3,278 13 0
South Grafton 3,262 10 0
Three Rivers 3,258 4 0
Hatfield 3,183 6 0
West Newbury 3,080 3 0
El Paso 3,067 1 0
Stockbridge 2,850 11 1 Fecal Coliform
Sutton 2,798 4 0
West Brookfield 2,527 36 20 Disinfection Byproducts
Warren 2,447 14 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Wareham 2,380 5 0
Lanesborough 2,349 8 2 Chlorine Dioxide, Gross Alpha
Carver 2,274 87 5 Disinfection Byproducts, Selenium, Stage 2 DBP
Byfield 2,228 4 0
Huntington 2,180 9 0
Hinsdale 1,940 29 2 Chlorine, Disinfection Byproducts
Shelburne Falls 1,806 0 0
Harvard 1,758 23 1 Gross Alpha
Deerfield 1,650 1 0
Assonet 1,600 4 0
Haydenville 1,575 11 0
East Brookfield 1,526 11 0
Brookfield 1,479 14 0
Bernardston 1,462 152 2 Disinfection Byproducts
Northfield 1,459 38 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Thorndike 1,435 0 0
Bondsville 1,429 0 0
Cheshire 1,407 2 0
Russell 1,228 9 2 Gross Alpha
Gilbertville 1,169 8 3 Disinfection Byproducts, E. coli
South Egremont 1,000 4 1 Chlorine
Hancock 1,000 4 0
Bridgeport 987 1 0
Boxborough 963 38 0
West Warren 927 4 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Wellfleet 915 11 1 E. coli
Portland 900 0 0
Chilmark 841 25 0
Chester 750 66 12 Bromate, TTHM
Mount Hermon 750 1 0
Stow 675 17 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Worthington 565 0 0
Erving 561 1 0
West Stockbridge 535 3 0
Granby 522 11 0
Mendon 501 14 0
Spring Valley 500 3 0
Nashua 477 125 0
Manchaug 476 4 0
Montague 450 3 2 Disinfection Byproducts
Blandford 442 30 0
Sheffield 425 4 0
Gosnold 425 3 0
Cummington 420 5 0
Ashfield 400 7 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Westport 400 9 2 Gross Alpha
Berlin 360 23 2 Chlorine Dioxide, Contaminant 1039
Lakeville 350 2 0
Gill 341 4 0
Dunstable 337 10 0
Wheelwright 300 4 1 Disinfection Byproducts
Hardwick 300 4 1 Chlorine Dioxide
Rehoboth 300 6 2 E. coli
Hampden 284 47 0
Royalston 275 15 0
Monterey 242 10 0
Dover 232 13 2 Disinfection Byproducts, E. coli
Colrain 225 10 0
South Yarmouth 200 7 0
Summerland 180 1 0
Clarksburg 180 3 1 Chlorine
Hockessin 150 5 0
Mill River 150 20 8 Chlorine, Chlorine Dioxide
Newberry 150 298 4 Chlorine, E. coli, Stage 2 DBP
Cherry Valley 140 15 0
Bolton 135 3 0
Oxford 133 37 3 Chlorine Dioxide, E. coli
Boxford 133 85 0
Exeter 132 2 0
East Deerfield 120 11 0
Leeds 120 5 0
South Wellfleet 120 12 0
West Tisbury 116 2 0
Sandisfield 100 0 0
Cordaville 100 2 0

Data Sources

Drinking water data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). Only active community water systems (CWS) serving 100+ people are included.

Verify at epa.gov