Community Water System · PWS MA1217000

Northfield Water District

Northfield, Massachusetts 01360 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 800 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

Compiled by PlainWater Editorial, Drinking Water Quality Editorial Team · May 15, 2026

800
People served: 120
EPA violations: 12
Health-based: Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 120 drinking-water violations at Northfield Water District, 10% of them health-based - above the Massachusetts per-system average.

120
Total EPA violations on record: 10%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure): 800
People served by this system: N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Northfield Water District

Northfield Water District is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 800 residents in Northfield, Massachusetts (Franklin County) through 231 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 120 total violations for this system , of which 12 (10%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 90 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2016.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 8 violations (MCL, health-based). 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%).

Northfield Water District's 120 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

800

Total Violations

120

Health-Based Violations

Water Source

Groundwater

System Details

System Type: Community
Owner Type: Local
Connections: 231
County: Franklin
School/Daycare: No
MCL Violations: 8
Monitoring Violations: 90
Treatment Tech Violations: 4

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant	Category	Count	Latest
Coliform (TCR)	MCL	8	2012
Coliform (TCR)	MR	6	2006
Lead and Copper Rule	TT	4	2000
Consumer Confidence Rule	Other	4	2016
Nitrate	MR	3	2001
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene	MR	2	2001
DICHLOROMETHANE	MR	2	2001
p-Dichlorobenzene	MR	2	2001
Vinyl chloride	MR	2	2001
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene	MR	2	2001
Carbon tetrachloride	MR	2	2001
1,2-Dichloropropane	MR	2	2001
Trichloroethylene	MR	2	2001
Tetrachloroethylene	MR	2	2001
CHLOROBENZENE	MR	2	2001
Toluene	MR	2	2001
Ethylbenzene	MR	2	2001
Styrene	MR	2	2001
1,1-Dichloroethylene	MR	2	2001
1,2-Dichloroethane	MR	2	2001
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene	MR	2	2001
Xylenes, Total	MR	2	2001
Benzene	MR	2	2001
o-Dichlorobenzene	MR	2	2001
1,1,2-Trichloroethane	MR	2	2001
1,1,1-Trichloroethane	MR	2	2001
Toxaphene	MR	1	2001
Dalapon	MR	1	2001
Diquat	MR	1	2001
Endothall	MR	1	2001

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 Northfield Water District.

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 MA1217000 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 Northfield Water District 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
2016	Consumer Confidence Rule	Other	4	SDWIS / MA1217000 / 7000
2012	Coliform (TCR)	MCL	8	SDWIS / MA1217000 / 3100
2006	Coliform (TCR)	MR	6	SDWIS / MA1217000 / 3100
2001	Nitrate	MR	3	SDWIS / MA1217000 / 1040
2001	1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene	MR	2	SDWIS / MA1217000 / 2378
2001	DICHLOROMETHANE	MR	2	SDWIS / MA1217000 / 2964
2001	p-Dichlorobenzene	MR	2	SDWIS / MA1217000 / 2969
2001	Vinyl chloride	MR	2	SDWIS / MA1217000 / 2976
2001	trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene	MR	2	SDWIS / MA1217000 / 2979
2001	Carbon tetrachloride	MR	2	SDWIS / MA1217000 / 2982
2001	1,2-Dichloropropane	MR	2	SDWIS / MA1217000 / 2983
2001	Trichloroethylene	MR	2	SDWIS / MA1217000 / 2984
2001	Tetrachloroethylene	MR	2	SDWIS / MA1217000 / 2987
2001	CHLOROBENZENE	MR	2	SDWIS / MA1217000 / 2989
2001	Toluene	MR	2	SDWIS / MA1217000 / 2991

How Northfield Water District Compares

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

Metric	Northfield Water District	Massachusetts avg	Federal benchmark
Total violations	120	46.2	SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations	12	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	800	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 Northfield Water District water safe to drink? ▼

Northfield Water District (PWS ID: MA1217000) has 120 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 800 people using Groundwater sources.

How many people does Northfield Water District serve? ▼

Northfield Water District serves 800 people in Northfield, Massachusetts. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 231 service connections.

What type of violations does Northfield Water District have? ▼

Northfield Water District has 120 total violations: 12 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 90 monitoring/reporting violations, and 4 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.

Has PFAS been detected in Northfield Water District water? ▼

No PFAS testing data is available for Northfield Water District under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.

What water source does Northfield Water District use? ▼

Northfield Water District uses Groundwater 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.