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Community Water System · PWS MA1289000

Sunderland Water District

Sunderland, Massachusetts 01375 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 3,190 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

3,190
People served
50
EPA violations
3
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 50 drinking-water violations at Sunderland Water District, 6% of them health-based - above the Massachusetts per-system average.

50
Total EPA violations on record
6%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
3,190
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Sunderland Water District

Sunderland Water District is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 3,190 residents in Sunderland, Massachusetts (Franklin County) through 995 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 50 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 34 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2014.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 3 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%).

Sunderland Water District's 50 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
3,190
Total Violations
50
Health-Based Violations
3
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
995
County
Franklin
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
3
Monitoring Violations
34
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MCL 3 2014
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 2001
Arsenic MR 1 2001
Barium MR 1 2001
Cadmium MR 1 2001
Fluoride MR 1 2001
Nitrate MR 1 2001
Antimony, Total MR 1 2001
Beryllium, Total MR 1 2001
Thallium, Total MR 1 2001
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 1 2001
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 1 2001
Xylenes, Total MR 1 2001
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 1 2001
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 1 2001
Vinyl chloride MR 1 2001
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 1 2001
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 1 2001
Trichloroethylene MR 1 2001
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 1 2001
Tetrachloroethylene MR 1 2001
CHLOROBENZENE MR 1 2001
Benzene MR 1 2001
Ethylbenzene MR 1 2001
Styrene MR 1 2001
Carbon tetrachloride MR 1 2001
Selenium MR 1 2001
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 1 2001
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 1 2001
CYANIDE 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 Sunderland 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 MA1289000 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 Sunderland 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
2014 Coliform (TCR) MCL 3 SDWIS / MA1289000 / 3100
2001 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 SDWIS / MA1289000 / 7000
2001 Arsenic MR 1 SDWIS / MA1289000 / 1005
2001 Barium MR 1 SDWIS / MA1289000 / 1010
2001 Cadmium MR 1 SDWIS / MA1289000 / 1015
2001 Fluoride MR 1 SDWIS / MA1289000 / 1025
2001 Nitrate MR 1 SDWIS / MA1289000 / 1040
2001 Antimony, Total MR 1 SDWIS / MA1289000 / 1074
2001 Beryllium, Total MR 1 SDWIS / MA1289000 / 1075
2001 Thallium, Total MR 1 SDWIS / MA1289000 / 1085
2001 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 1 SDWIS / MA1289000 / 2378
2001 cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 1 SDWIS / MA1289000 / 2380
2001 Xylenes, Total MR 1 SDWIS / MA1289000 / 2955
2001 DICHLOROMETHANE MR 1 SDWIS / MA1289000 / 2964
2001 p-Dichlorobenzene MR 1 SDWIS / MA1289000 / 2969

How Sunderland Water District Compares

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

Metric Sunderland Water District Massachusetts avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 50 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 3,190 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 Sunderland Water District water safe to drink? ▼
Sunderland Water District (PWS ID: MA1289000) has 50 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 3,190 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Sunderland Water District serve? ▼
Sunderland Water District serves 3,190 people in Sunderland, Massachusetts. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 995 service connections.
What type of violations does Sunderland Water District have? ▼
Sunderland Water District has 50 total violations: 3 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 34 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Sunderland Water District water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Sunderland Water District under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Sunderland Water District use? ▼
Sunderland 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.