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Community Water System · PWS MA1113003

Housatonic Water Works

Great Barrington, Massachusetts 01230 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 1,391 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

1,391
People served
53
EPA violations
3
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 53 drinking-water violations at Housatonic Water Works, 6% of them health-based - above the Massachusetts per-system average.

53
Total EPA violations on record
6%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
1,391
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Housatonic Water Works

Housatonic Water Works is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 1,391 residents in Great Barrington, Massachusetts (Berkshire County) through 819 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 53 total violations for this system , of which 3 (6%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 29 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2021.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 7 violations (MR). This system has not yet been sampled under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, so no PFAS detection data is available here.

Across Massachusetts, EPA tracks 1,599 public water systems serving 10,332,845 people, with 73,886 cumulative violations and 7,389 health-based violations on record. About 95% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 46.2 violations. Statewide, 148 of 263 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (56.3%).

Housatonic Water Works's 53 violations sit above the Massachusetts average.

All figures above are sourced directly from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 public data releases and are updated as EPA publishes new reporting cycles.

Population Served
1,391
Total Violations
53
Health-Based Violations
3
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
819
County
Berkshire
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
2
Monitoring Violations
29
Treatment Tech Violations
1

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 7 2013
Lead and Copper Rule MR 5 2017
Public Notice Other 4 2021
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL 2 2021
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 2 2021
Nitrate MR 2 2019
Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 1 2003
Fluoride MR 1 2005
Beryllium, Total MR 1 2005
CYANIDE MR 1 2005
Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule Other 1 2015
Selenium MR 1 2005
Chromium MR 1 2005
Antimony, Total MR 1 2005
Mercury MR 1 2005
Nickel MR 1 2005
Barium MR 1 2005
Thallium, Total MR 1 2005
Cadmium MR 1 2005
Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 1 2015
Arsenic MR 1 2005

Verify This Water System

The figures above are aggregated from EPA's public databases. To verify the underlying records, or to file a complaint, request a Consumer Confidence Report, or check current monitoring status, go directly to the federal and state regulators that enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act for Housatonic Water Works.

Federal Source of Truth

EPA SDWIS, Federal Reports

EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) holds the federal compliance record for every regulated public water system. Open the system-level report by PWS ID:

View PWS ID MA1113003 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Massachusetts Drinking Water Authority

MassDEP, Drinking Water Program is the primacy agency that licenses and inspects Housatonic Water Works under EPA-delegated authority.

Open MA regulator portal

Source: MassDEP, Drinking Water Program

Violation Timeline

Each row links to the EPA SDWIS public record for verification. Cross-reference the contaminant code on EPA's federal report to see violation dates, return-to-compliance status, and enforcement actions.

Year (latest) Contaminant Category Count EPA Record
2021 Public Notice Other 4 SDWIS / MA1113003 / 7500
2021 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL 2 SDWIS / MA1113003 / 2456
2021 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 2 SDWIS / MA1113003 / 2456
2019 Nitrate MR 2 SDWIS / MA1113003 / 1040
2017 Lead and Copper Rule MR 5 SDWIS / MA1113003 / 5000
2015 Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule Other 1 SDWIS / MA1113003 / 0800
2015 Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 1 SDWIS / MA1113003 / 0200
2013 Coliform (TCR) MR 7 SDWIS / MA1113003 / 3100
2005 Fluoride MR 1 SDWIS / MA1113003 / 1025
2005 Beryllium, Total MR 1 SDWIS / MA1113003 / 1075
2005 CYANIDE MR 1 SDWIS / MA1113003 / 1024
2005 Selenium MR 1 SDWIS / MA1113003 / 1045
2005 Chromium MR 1 SDWIS / MA1113003 / 1020
2005 Antimony, Total MR 1 SDWIS / MA1113003 / 1074
2005 Mercury MR 1 SDWIS / MA1113003 / 1035

How Housatonic Water Works Compares

Cross-reference this system's record against state averages and the federal MCL framework for context.

Metric Housatonic Water Works Massachusetts avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 53 46.2 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 3 4.6 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 56.3% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 1,391 6,462 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 1,599 regulated public water systems in Massachusetts.

Federal MCL reference, Safe Drinking Water Act thresholds ▼
Contaminant Federal MCL / Action Level Note
Lead 0 mg/L (Action Level: 0.015 mg/L) Lead and Copper Rule treatment technique
Arsenic 0.010 mg/L (10 ppb) Health-based MCL since 2006
Total Coliform Treatment technique (RTCR) Indicator organism, monitoring trigger
PFOA / PFOS (PFAS) 4.0 ppt each (final 2024 rule) Compliance deadline 2029 (EPA proposed extending to 2031, not yet final as of May 2026)
Nitrate (as N) 10 mg/L Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Housatonic Water Works water safe to drink? ▼
Housatonic Water Works (PWS ID: MA1113003) has 53 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 1,391 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Housatonic Water Works serve? ▼
Housatonic Water Works serves 1,391 people in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. It is a Private-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 819 service connections.
What type of violations does Housatonic Water Works have? ▼
Housatonic Water Works has 53 total violations: 3 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 29 monitoring/reporting violations, and 1 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Housatonic Water Works water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Housatonic Water Works under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Housatonic Water Works use? ▼
Housatonic Water Works uses Surface Water as its primary water source. It is classified as a Community Water System (CWS), serving residential populations year-round.
Where does this data come from? ▼
All data comes from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and the UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program. SDWIS tracks compliance for all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Data Sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), Q4 2025. This data is provided for informational purposes only.

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 system's figures are rendered directly from 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.