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Non-Transient Non-Community Water System · PWS MA3038009

Harry Lee Cole School

Boxford, Massachusetts 01921 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 439 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

439
People served
91
EPA violations
0
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 91 drinking-water violations at Harry Lee Cole School - above the Massachusetts per-system average.

91
Total EPA violations on record
0%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
439
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Harry Lee Cole School

Harry Lee Cole School is a local-owned non-transient non-community water system that delivers drinking water to 439 residents in Boxford, Massachusetts (Essex County) through 1 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 91 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 90 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2022.

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

Harry Lee Cole School's 91 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
439
Total Violations
91
Health-Based Violations
0
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Non-Transient Non-Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
1
County
Essex
School/Daycare
Yes
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
90
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Lead and Copper Rule MR 7 2022
Nitrate MR 2 2000
Endrin MR 2 2003
Methoxychlor MR 2 2003
Dalapon MR 2 2003
Diquat MR 2 2003
Endothall MR 2 2003
Glyphosate MR 2 2003
Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 2 2003
Simazine MR 2 2003
Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate MR 2 2003
Hexachlorocyclopentadiene MR 2 2003
Carbofuran MR 2 2003
LASSO MR 2 2003
2,3,7,8-TCDD MR 2 2003
2,4-D MR 2 2003
2,4,5-TP MR 2 2003
HEXACHLOROBENZENE MR 2 2003
Benzo(a)pyrene MR 2 2003
Pentachlorophenol MR 2 2003
Dinoseb MR 2 2003
Chlordane MR 2 2003
Atrazine MR 2 2003
Picloram MR 2 2003
ETHYLENE DIBROMIDE MR 2 2003
Total Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) MR 2 2003
BHC-GAMMA MR 2 2003
Toxaphene MR 2 2003
1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE MR 2 2003
OXAMYL MR 2 2003

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 Harry Lee Cole 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 MA3038009 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 Harry Lee Cole 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
2022 Lead and Copper Rule MR 7 SDWIS / MA3038009 / 5000
2005 o-Dichlorobenzene MR 1 SDWIS / MA3038009 / 2968
2005 trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 1 SDWIS / MA3038009 / 2979
2005 cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 1 SDWIS / MA3038009 / 2380
2005 1,2-Dichloropropane MR 1 SDWIS / MA3038009 / 2983
2005 Ethylbenzene MR 1 SDWIS / MA3038009 / 2992
2005 Tetrachloroethylene MR 1 SDWIS / MA3038009 / 2987
2005 Toluene MR 1 SDWIS / MA3038009 / 2991
2005 p-Dichlorobenzene MR 1 SDWIS / MA3038009 / 2969
2005 DICHLOROMETHANE MR 1 SDWIS / MA3038009 / 2964
2005 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 1 SDWIS / MA3038009 / 2378
2005 1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 1 SDWIS / MA3038009 / 2977
2005 Trichloroethylene MR 1 SDWIS / MA3038009 / 2984
2005 Vinyl chloride MR 1 SDWIS / MA3038009 / 2976
2005 1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 1 SDWIS / MA3038009 / 2981

How Harry Lee Cole School Compares

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

Metric Harry Lee Cole School Massachusetts avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 91 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 439 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 Harry Lee Cole School water safe to drink? ▼
Harry Lee Cole School (PWS ID: MA3038009) has 91 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 439 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Harry Lee Cole School serve? ▼
Harry Lee Cole School serves 439 people in Boxford, Massachusetts. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 1 service connections.
What type of violations does Harry Lee Cole School have? ▼
Harry Lee Cole School has 91 total violations: 0 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 90 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Harry Lee Cole School water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Harry Lee Cole School under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Harry Lee Cole School use? ▼
Harry Lee Cole 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.