PlainWater
Counties → Massachusetts

Essex County, Massachusetts

Water Systems
67
Population Served
908,499
Total Violations
3,080
287 health-based
PFAS Detected
21
of 32 tested

Violation Analysis

91.0%
Systems with Violations
46.0
Avg Violations per System
9.3%
Health-Based Violations

Water Source Types

SW
26 systems (39%)
GW
24 systems (36%)

PFAS Contamination

32
Systems Tested
21
PFAS Detected
65.6%
Detection Rate

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are persistent chemicals found in drinking water. The EPA has set enforceable limits for several PFAS compounds under UCMR5 monitoring.

Compliance Snapshot

Essex Massachusetts water systems by violation status, EPA SDWIS records.

No violations on record (3) One or more violations (47)

Violation history is cumulative, many flagged systems have already returned to compliance. Detail pages show per-system context.

Water Systems

System Name Population Violations PFAS
Lynn Water and Sewer Comm 101,253 39 Detected
Salem and Beverly Water Supply Board 90,330 19 -
Lawrence Water Works 88,877 296 Detected
Haverhill Water Dept 63,235 80 Clean
Peabody Water Dept. 54,481 180 Detected
Methuen Water Dept 53,059 51 Detected
Beverly Water Dept 47,461 9 Detected
Salem Water Department 44,480 7 Detected
Gloucester Public Utility Division 37,440 171 Clean
Andover Water Dept 36,569 7 Detected
North Andover Water Dept 30,915 56 Clean
Danvers Water Dept. 28,087 56 Detected
Saugus Water Dept. (Mwra) 27,082 26 Clean
Marblehead Water Dept. (Mwra) 20,441 13 Clean
Newburyport Water Department 20,335 74 Detected
Salisbury Water Division 20,000 47 Detected
Amesbury Dpw Water Div. 17,366 38 Clean
Swampscott Water Dept. (Mwra) 15,175 28 Clean
Ipswich Dpu Water Dept 13,090 75 Detected
Rockport Water Dept 10,000 27 Clean
Georgetown Water Department 8,766 100 Clean
Lynnfield Center Water District 8,569 154 Detected
Hamilton Water Dept 7,377 84 Detected
Middleton Water Dept. 7,255 18 Detected
Merrimac Water Department 7,193 276 Detected
Groveland Water Department 6,743 46 Detected
Rowley Water Department 6,283 112 Detected
Topsfield Water Department 5,435 72 Detected
Manchester by the Sea Dpw 5,170 94 Detected
Lynnfield Water Dist. (Mwra) 4,820 14 Clean
Wenham Water Dept. 3,942 23 Detected
Essex Water Dept. 3,675 43 -
Nahant Water Dept. (Mwra) 3,334 29 Clean
West Newbury Water Department 3,080 11 Clean
Byfield Water District 2,228 35 -
Pequot Highlands 900 0 -
Rocky Mountain Spring Water Vending 500 0 -
Spofford Pond School 486 67 -
Harry Lee Cole School 439 91 -
Sagamore Spring Golf Club, Inc. 250 2 -
The Water Store of Saugus (Vnd) 250 5 -
Boxford Community Store Inc 200 10 -
Ipswich River Wildlife Refuge 180 0 -
The Village Store Bldg. 150 54 -
Andrews Farm Water Co.,inc. 150 163 -
Essex Meeting and Retreat Center, LLC 150 8 -
Four Mile Village 133 133 -
Far Corner Farm Golf Course Inc. 120 7 -
Boxford Meeting Place 120 8 -
Ingaldsby Bakery and Farm Stand 100 8 -

Other Counties in Massachusetts

Suffolk County
8 systems · 3,456,243 served · 111 violations
Middlesex County
204 systems · 1,623,176 served · 16,575 violations
Norfolk County
57 systems · 842,114 served · 2,645 violations
Worcester County
345 systems · 773,172 served · 23,751 violations
Bristol County
133 systems · 673,471 served · 3,611 violations
Barnstable County
127 systems · 628,756 served · 2,953 violations

Drinking Water Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many water violations are in Essex County? ▼
Essex County has 3,080 total drinking water violations across 67 water systems, of which 287 are health-based violations. 91.0% of systems have at least one violation.
How many people get water from Essex County systems? ▼
Water systems in Essex County serve approximately 908,499 people through 67 public water systems.
Has PFAS been detected in Essex County water? ▼
Of 32 water systems tested for PFAS in Essex County, 21 had PFAS detected (65.6% detection rate).
What types of water sources supply Essex County? ▼
Water systems in Essex County use SW (26 systems), GW (24 systems) as their primary water sources.
Are health-based violations serious? ▼
Health-based violations indicate that drinking water exceeded Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) set by the EPA or failed treatment technique requirements. 9.3% of Essex County's violations are health-based. Not all violations indicate immediate health risk, but they require corrective action.
Data Sources & Methodology

Drinking water violation data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). PFAS testing data from the UCMR5 monitoring program. SDWIS tracks all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Violations are categorized as health-based (Maximum Contaminant Level exceedances, treatment technique failures) or monitoring/reporting violations. Not all violations indicate an immediate health risk.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 PFAS monitoring data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainWater Editorial

Every figure on PlainWater is rendered directly from EPA SDWIS drinking-water data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on EPA SDWIS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.