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Community Water System · PWS MA2081000

Dunstable Water Department

Dunstable, Massachusetts 01827 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 337 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

337
People served
117
EPA violations
0
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 117 drinking-water violations at Dunstable Water Department - above the Massachusetts per-system average.

117
Total EPA violations on record
0%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
337
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Dunstable Water Department

Dunstable Water Department is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 337 residents in Dunstable, Massachusetts (Middlesex County) through 106 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 117 total violations for this system , of which 0 (0%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 101 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2018.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Lead and Copper Rule, recorded in 5 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%).

Dunstable Water Department's 117 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
337
Total Violations
117
Health-Based Violations
0
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
106
County
Middlesex
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
101
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Lead and Copper Rule MR 5 2017
Endrin MR 3 1998
BHC-GAMMA MR 3 1998
Methoxychlor MR 3 1998
Toxaphene MR 3 1998
2,4-D MR 3 1998
2,4,5-TP MR 3 1998
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 3 2018
Dalapon MR 2 1998
Diquat MR 2 1998
Glyphosate MR 2 1998
OXAMYL MR 2 1998
Simazine MR 2 1998
Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate MR 2 1998
Dinoseb MR 2 1998
Hexachlorocyclopentadiene MR 2 1998
Aldicarb sulfone MR 2 1998
Aldicarb MR 2 1998
Atrazine MR 2 1998
LASSO MR 2 1998
2,3,7,8-TCDD MR 2 1998
Heptachlor MR 2 1998
Heptachlor epoxide MR 2 1998
Benzo(a)pyrene MR 2 1998
Pentachlorophenol MR 2 1998
Total Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) MR 2 1998
1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE MR 2 1998
ETHYLENE DIBROMIDE MR 2 1998
Chlordane MR 2 1998
Endothall MR 2 1998

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 Dunstable Water Department.

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 MA2081000 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 Dunstable Water Department 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
2018 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 3 SDWIS / MA2081000 / 8000
2017 Lead and Copper Rule MR 5 SDWIS / MA2081000 / 5000
1998 Endrin MR 3 SDWIS / MA2081000 / 2005
1998 BHC-GAMMA MR 3 SDWIS / MA2081000 / 2010
1998 Methoxychlor MR 3 SDWIS / MA2081000 / 2015
1998 Toxaphene MR 3 SDWIS / MA2081000 / 2020
1998 2,4-D MR 3 SDWIS / MA2081000 / 2105
1998 2,4,5-TP MR 3 SDWIS / MA2081000 / 2110
1998 Dalapon MR 2 SDWIS / MA2081000 / 2031
1998 Diquat MR 2 SDWIS / MA2081000 / 2032
1998 Glyphosate MR 2 SDWIS / MA2081000 / 2034
1998 OXAMYL MR 2 SDWIS / MA2081000 / 2036
1998 Simazine MR 2 SDWIS / MA2081000 / 2037
1998 Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate MR 2 SDWIS / MA2081000 / 2039
1998 Dinoseb MR 2 SDWIS / MA2081000 / 2041

How Dunstable Water Department Compares

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

Metric Dunstable Water Department Massachusetts avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 117 46.2 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 0 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 337 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 Dunstable Water Department water safe to drink? ▼
Dunstable Water Department (PWS ID: MA2081000) has 117 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 337 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Dunstable Water Department serve? ▼
Dunstable Water Department serves 337 people in Dunstable, Massachusetts. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 106 service connections.
What type of violations does Dunstable Water Department have? ▼
Dunstable Water Department has 117 total violations: 0 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 101 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Dunstable Water Department water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Dunstable Water Department under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Dunstable Water Department use? ▼
Dunstable Water Department 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.