PlainWater
States → Massachusetts

Non-Transient Non-Community Water System · PWS MA2282006

Sterling Nursery School

Sterling, Massachusetts 01564 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 150 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

150
People served
42
EPA violations
6
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 42 drinking-water violations at Sterling Nursery School, 14% of them health-based - below the Massachusetts per-system average.

42
Total EPA violations on record
14%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
150
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Sterling Nursery School

Sterling Nursery School is a private-owned non-transient non-community water system that delivers drinking water to 150 residents in Sterling, Massachusetts (Worcester County) through 1 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 42 total violations for this system , of which 6 (14%) 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 2013.

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%).

Sterling Nursery School's 42 violations sit below 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
150
Total Violations
42
Health-Based Violations
6
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Non-Transient Non-Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
1
County
Worcester
School/Daycare
Yes
MCL Violations
6
Monitoring Violations
34
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 7 2013
Arsenic MCL 6 2013
Nitrate MR 3 2013
Fluoride MR 2 2013
Selenium MR 2 2013
Cadmium MR 2 2013
Beryllium, Total MR 2 2013
Thallium, Total MR 2 2013
CYANIDE MR 2 2013
Chromium MR 2 2013
Arsenic MR 2 2013
Nickel MR 2 2013
Mercury MR 2 2013
Barium MR 2 2013
Antimony, Total MR 2 2013

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 Sterling Nursery School.

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 MA2282006 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 Sterling Nursery School 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
2013 Coliform (TCR) MR 7 SDWIS / MA2282006 / 3100
2013 Arsenic MCL 6 SDWIS / MA2282006 / 1005
2013 Nitrate MR 3 SDWIS / MA2282006 / 1040
2013 Fluoride MR 2 SDWIS / MA2282006 / 1025
2013 Selenium MR 2 SDWIS / MA2282006 / 1045
2013 Cadmium MR 2 SDWIS / MA2282006 / 1015
2013 Beryllium, Total MR 2 SDWIS / MA2282006 / 1075
2013 Thallium, Total MR 2 SDWIS / MA2282006 / 1085
2013 CYANIDE MR 2 SDWIS / MA2282006 / 1024
2013 Chromium MR 2 SDWIS / MA2282006 / 1020
2013 Arsenic MR 2 SDWIS / MA2282006 / 1005
2013 Nickel MR 2 SDWIS / MA2282006 / 1036
2013 Mercury MR 2 SDWIS / MA2282006 / 1035
2013 Barium MR 2 SDWIS / MA2282006 / 1010
2013 Antimony, Total MR 2 SDWIS / MA2282006 / 1074

How Sterling Nursery School Compares

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

Metric Sterling Nursery School Massachusetts avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 42 46.2 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 6 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 150 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 Sterling Nursery School water safe to drink? ▼
Sterling Nursery School (PWS ID: MA2282006) has 42 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 150 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Sterling Nursery School serve? ▼
Sterling Nursery School serves 150 people in Sterling, Massachusetts. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 1 service connections.
What type of violations does Sterling Nursery School have? ▼
Sterling Nursery School has 42 total violations: 6 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 Sterling Nursery School water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Sterling Nursery School under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Sterling Nursery School use? ▼
Sterling Nursery School uses Groundwater as its primary water source. It is classified as a Non-Transient Non-Community Water System, serving the same people for at least 6 months per year.
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.