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Community Water System · PWS MA2125000

Harvard Water Department

Harvard, Massachusetts 01451 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 1,422 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

1,422
People served
252
EPA violations
4
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 252 drinking-water violations at Harvard Water Department, 2% of them health-based - above the Massachusetts per-system average.

252
Total EPA violations on record
2%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
1,422
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Harvard Water Department

Harvard Water Department is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 1,422 residents in Harvard, Massachusetts (Worcester County) through 99 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 252 total violations for this system , of which 4 (2%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 227 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 22 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%).

Harvard Water Department's 252 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
1,422
Total Violations
252
Health-Based Violations
4
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
99
County
Worcester
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
4
Monitoring Violations
227
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 22 2013
Lead and Copper Rule MR 12 2016
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 8 2001
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 8 2001
Xylenes, Total MR 8 2001
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 8 2001
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 8 2001
Vinyl chloride MR 8 2001
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 8 2001
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 8 2001
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 8 2001
Carbon tetrachloride MR 8 2001
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 8 2001
Trichloroethylene MR 8 2001
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 8 2001
Tetrachloroethylene MR 8 2001
CHLOROBENZENE MR 8 2001
Toluene MR 8 2001
Ethylbenzene MR 8 2001
Styrene MR 8 2001
Benzene MR 8 2001
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 8 2001
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 8 2001
Radium-226 MR 4 2001
Radium-228 MR 4 2001
Tritium MR 4 2001
38-STRONTIUM-90 MR 4 2001
Coliform (TCR) MCL 4 2016
Gross Beta Particle Activity MR 4 2001
Nitrate MR 3 1995

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 Harvard 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 MA2125000 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 Harvard 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
2016 Lead and Copper Rule MR 12 SDWIS / MA2125000 / 5000
2016 Coliform (TCR) MCL 4 SDWIS / MA2125000 / 3100
2013 Coliform (TCR) MR 22 SDWIS / MA2125000 / 3100
2013 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 SDWIS / MA2125000 / 7000
2007 Beryllium, Total MR 2 SDWIS / MA2125000 / 1075
2001 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 8 SDWIS / MA2125000 / 2378
2001 cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 8 SDWIS / MA2125000 / 2380
2001 Xylenes, Total MR 8 SDWIS / MA2125000 / 2955
2001 DICHLOROMETHANE MR 8 SDWIS / MA2125000 / 2964
2001 p-Dichlorobenzene MR 8 SDWIS / MA2125000 / 2969
2001 Vinyl chloride MR 8 SDWIS / MA2125000 / 2976
2001 1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 8 SDWIS / MA2125000 / 2977
2001 1,2-Dichloroethane MR 8 SDWIS / MA2125000 / 2980
2001 1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 8 SDWIS / MA2125000 / 2981
2001 Carbon tetrachloride MR 8 SDWIS / MA2125000 / 2982

How Harvard Water Department Compares

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

Metric Harvard Water Department Massachusetts avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 252 46.2 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 4 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 1,422 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 Harvard Water Department water safe to drink? ▼
Harvard Water Department (PWS ID: MA2125000) has 252 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 1,422 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Harvard Water Department serve? ▼
Harvard Water Department serves 1,422 people in Harvard, Massachusetts. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 99 service connections.
What type of violations does Harvard Water Department have? ▼
Harvard Water Department has 252 total violations: 4 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 227 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Harvard Water Department water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Harvard Water Department under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Harvard Water Department use? ▼
Harvard 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.