PlainWater
Counties → Massachusetts

Middlesex County, Massachusetts

Water Systems
204
Population Served
1,623,176
Total Violations
16,575
1,068 health-based
PFAS Detected
34
of 54 tested

Violation Analysis

97.5%
Systems with Violations
81.3
Avg Violations per System
6.4%
Health-Based Violations

Water Source Types

SW
35 systems (17%)
GW
15 systems (7%)

PFAS Contamination

54
Systems Tested
34
PFAS Detected
63.0%
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

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

No violations on record (0) One or more violations (50)

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
Cambridge Water Department 118,214 70 Detected
Lowell Regional Water Utility 115,000 54 Detected
Newton Water Dept. (Mwra) 88,415 22 Clean
Somerville Water Dept. (Mwra) 81,045 33 Clean
Framingham Water Dept. (Mwra) 72,362 12 Clean
Malden Water Division (Mwra) 66,263 45 Clean
Waltham Water Department 65,218 35 Clean
Medford Water Dept. (Mwra) 61,700 27 Clean
Everett Water Dept. (Mwra) 49,075 23 Clean
Arlington Water Dept. (Mwra) 46,308 21 Clean
Billerica Water Works 42,119 52 Detected
Marlborough Dpw Water Div. (Mwra) 41,799 56 Clean
Woburn Water Dept. 40,876 46 Detected
Natick Water and Sewer Division 37,006 146 Detected
Watertown Water Dept. (Mwra) 35,329 19 Clean
Lexington Water Dept. (Mwra) 34,074 17 Clean
Tewksbury Water Department 31,342 30 Detected
Melrose Water Division (Mwra) 29,357 45 Clean
Chelmsford Water District 28,750 12 Detected
Reading Water Department (Mwra) 27,358 7 Clean
Belmont Water Dept. (Mwra) 27,295 11 Clean
Wakefield Water Dept 27,090 113 Detected
Burlington Water Dept 26,680 278 Detected
Dracut Water Supply District 25,789 114 Detected
Stoneham Water Dept (Mwra Supply) 23,244 33 Clean
Winchester Water Dept 22,970 62 Clean
Wilmington Water Dept 22,481 65 Detected
Acton Water Supply District 20,780 174 Detected
Hudson Water Supply 20,032 285 Detected
Ashland Water and Sewer Dept. 18,832 45 Detected
Concord Water Dept 18,788 25 Detected
Westford Water Department 18,680 28 Detected
Sudbury Water District 18,416 284 Detected
North Reading Water Dept. 16,054 61 Detected
Holliston Water Department 15,713 288 Detected
Bedford Water Dept. 14,394 137 Clean
Wayland Water Department 13,196 101 Detected
Hopkinton Water Department 12,586 23 Detected
Weston Water Dept. 11,941 33 Clean
Hanscom Afb 11,789 41 Clean
Maynard Dpw, Water Division 10,401 304 Detected
Kenwood Water District 9,620 29 Detected
Littleton Water Department 9,611 54 Clean
Pepperell Dpw Water Division 9,217 141 Detected
Ayer Dpw Water Division 8,479 55 Detected
North Chelmsford Water Dist 7,498 14 Clean
Devens Massdevelopment 6,500 49 Detected
Townsend Water Department 6,500 246 Detected
Lincoln Water Dept 5,593 90 Detected
Groton Water Department 5,456 110 Detected

Other Counties in Massachusetts

Suffolk County
8 systems · 3,456,243 served · 111 violations
Essex County
67 systems · 908,499 served · 3,080 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 Middlesex County? ▼
Middlesex County has 16,575 total drinking water violations across 204 water systems, of which 1,068 are health-based violations. 97.5% of systems have at least one violation.
How many people get water from Middlesex County systems? ▼
Water systems in Middlesex County serve approximately 1,623,176 people through 204 public water systems.
Has PFAS been detected in Middlesex County water? ▼
Of 54 water systems tested for PFAS in Middlesex County, 34 had PFAS detected (63.0% detection rate).
What types of water sources supply Middlesex County? ▼
Water systems in Middlesex County use SW (35 systems), GW (15 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. 6.4% of Middlesex 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.