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Community Water System · PWS MA3092000

Essex Water Dept.

Essex, Massachusetts 01929 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 3,675 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

3,675
People served
43
EPA violations
0
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 43 drinking-water violations at Essex Water Dept. - below the Massachusetts per-system average.

43
Total EPA violations on record
0%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
3,675
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Essex Water Dept.

Essex Water Dept. is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 3,675 residents in Essex, Massachusetts (Essex County) through 1,124 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 43 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 38 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2009.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Consumer Confidence Rule, recorded in 2 violations (Other). 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%).

Essex Water Dept.'s 43 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
3,675
Total Violations
43
Health-Based Violations
0
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
1,124
County
Essex
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
38
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 2009
Combined Uranium MR 1 2002
Radium-228 MR 1 2002
Tritium MR 1 2002
Endrin MR 1 2004
BHC-GAMMA MR 1 2004
Methoxychlor MR 1 2004
Dalapon MR 1 2004
Diquat MR 1 2004
Glyphosate MR 1 2004
Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 1 2004
Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate MR 1 2004
Picloram MR 1 2004
Carbofuran MR 1 2004
Atrazine MR 1 2004
LASSO MR 1 2004
Heptachlor epoxide MR 1 2004
2,4-D MR 1 2004
2,4,5-TP MR 1 2004
Benzo(a)pyrene MR 1 2004
Total Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) MR 1 2004
1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE MR 1 2004
ETHYLENE DIBROMIDE MR 1 2004
Hexachlorocyclopentadiene MR 1 2004
53-IODINE-131 MR 1 2002
2,3,7,8-TCDD MR 1 2004
Radium-226 MR 1 2002
Simazine MR 1 2004
38-STRONTIUM-90 MR 1 2002
Heptachlor MR 1 2004

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 Essex Water Dept..

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 MA3092000 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 Essex Water Dept. 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
2009 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 SDWIS / MA3092000 / 7000
2004 Endrin MR 1 SDWIS / MA3092000 / 2005
2004 BHC-GAMMA MR 1 SDWIS / MA3092000 / 2010
2004 Methoxychlor MR 1 SDWIS / MA3092000 / 2015
2004 Dalapon MR 1 SDWIS / MA3092000 / 2031
2004 Diquat MR 1 SDWIS / MA3092000 / 2032
2004 Glyphosate MR 1 SDWIS / MA3092000 / 2034
2004 Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 1 SDWIS / MA3092000 / 2035
2004 Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate MR 1 SDWIS / MA3092000 / 2039
2004 Picloram MR 1 SDWIS / MA3092000 / 2040
2004 Carbofuran MR 1 SDWIS / MA3092000 / 2046
2004 Atrazine MR 1 SDWIS / MA3092000 / 2050
2004 LASSO MR 1 SDWIS / MA3092000 / 2051
2004 Heptachlor epoxide MR 1 SDWIS / MA3092000 / 2067
2004 2,4-D MR 1 SDWIS / MA3092000 / 2105

How Essex Water Dept. Compares

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

Metric Essex Water Dept. Massachusetts avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 43 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 3,675 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 Essex Water Dept. water safe to drink? ▼
Essex Water Dept. (PWS ID: MA3092000) has 43 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 3,675 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Essex Water Dept. serve? ▼
Essex Water Dept. serves 3,675 people in Essex, Massachusetts. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 1,124 service connections.
What type of violations does Essex Water Dept. have? ▼
Essex Water Dept. has 43 total violations: 0 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 38 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Essex Water Dept. water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Essex Water Dept. under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Essex Water Dept. use? ▼
Essex Water Dept. 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.