Community Water System · PWS MA3320000
Wenham Water Dept.
Operator location Wenham, Massachusetts - 61% of 23 violations are health-based (upper-third health share (> 23%)); groundwater source; 3,942 served per SDWIS.
- 3,942
- People served (this PWS)
- 23
- EPA violations (this PWS)
- 14
- Health-based (this PWS)
- 5 PFAS
- UCMR5 (this PWS)
Wenham Water Dept. standing, mid SDWIS violation third
61% of 23 recorded violations are health-based - upper-third health share (> 23%). Corpus terciles use 29,740 systems serving 500+ (the sitemap cohort). Health-based share 61% is upper-third health share (> 23%). UCMR5: upper-third PFAS panel (> 4 compounds). Population rank #8,961 of 29,740 among systems serving 500+.
The verdict
Wenham Water Dept. lands in the middle third by violation volume (23), large enough for peer comparisons without matching the fleet's heaviest ledgers. Population served is large (3,942; larger served population (> 3,309)), so household exposure scale sits behind the violation mix. Health-based share is 61% - most of this ledger is MCL or treatment-technique exceedance. UCMR5 detected 5 PFAS compounds (upper-third PFAS panel (> 4 compounds)).
- #8,961 of 29,740
- Population · /systems
- #252 of 418
- Population · MA
- 23
- Total EPA violations on record
- 61%
- Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
Population ordinals match the sitemap cohort (systems serving 500+, population_served DESC). See methodology · corpus placement.
5 PFAS "forever chemicals" detected in testing under EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
System Details
- System Type
- Community
- Owner Type
- Local
- Connections
- 1,249
- County
- Essex
- School/Daycare
- No
- MCL Violations
- 12
- Monitoring Violations
- 6
- Treatment Tech Violations
- 2
Violation History
Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.
| Contaminant | Category | Count | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coliform (TCR) | MCL | 12 | 2011 |
| Lead and Copper Rule | MR | 4 | 2015 |
| Coliform (TCR) | MR | 2 | 2009 |
| Lead and Copper Rule | TT | 2 | 1994 |
Violation Count vs. the National Corpus
Wenham Water Dept. has 23 recorded EPA violations, 35% of the 29,740 public water systems serving 500+ people nationwide carry fewer, and 64% carry more. 61% of this system's own violations are health-based (14 of 23), and it ranks #8,961 of 29,740 by population served among that same cohort.
EPA violations vs. the national water-system corpus
Public water systems serving 500+ people (EPA SDWIS)
23 Lower than most fewer violations than 64% of 29,740 water systems
the national water-system corpus, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more water systems. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source EPA SDWIS · 2026-05-15
PFAS Testing Results (UCMR5)
Results from EPA's Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule. 10 of 58 samples detected PFAS.
| Contaminant | Date | Result | MRL | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PFOA | 5/14/2024 | 7.20 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Detected |
| 6:2 FTS | 5/14/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFBA | 5/14/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| HFPO-DA | 5/14/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| ADONA | 5/14/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 11Cl-PF3OUdS | 5/14/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHxA | 5/14/2024 | 6.70 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
| 4:2 FTS | 5/14/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFDA | 5/14/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 9Cl-PF3ONS | 5/14/2024 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFOS | 5/14/2024 | 6.40 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFNA | 5/14/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHxS | 5/14/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHpA | 5/14/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFBS | 5/14/2024 | 3.90 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFDoA | 5/14/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHpS | 5/14/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| NMeFOSAA | 5/14/2024 | <6.00 ppt | 6.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| NEtFOSAA | 5/14/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFUnA | 5/14/2024 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFTA | 5/14/2024 | <8.00 ppt | 8.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 8:2 FTS | 5/14/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFPeS | 5/14/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| NFDHA | 5/14/2024 | <20.00 ppt | 20.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFEESA | 5/14/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFMBA | 5/14/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFMPA | 5/14/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFPeA | 5/14/2024 | 6.80 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFTrDA | 5/14/2024 | <7.00 ppt | 7.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFDA | 11/6/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 6:2 FTS | 11/6/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFBA | 11/6/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFOS | 11/6/2024 | 5.60 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Detected |
| HFPO-DA | 11/6/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| ADONA | 11/6/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 9Cl-PF3ONS | 11/6/2024 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 11Cl-PF3OUdS | 11/6/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFUnA | 11/6/2024 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFDoA | 11/6/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFOA | 11/6/2024 | 5.20 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFNA | 11/6/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHxS | 11/6/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHpA | 11/6/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFMBA | 11/6/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFBS | 11/6/2024 | 3.40 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
| 4:2 FTS | 11/6/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHxA | 11/6/2024 | 5.20 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Detected |
| PFTA | 11/6/2024 | <8.00 ppt | 8.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 8:2 FTS | 11/6/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFMPA | 11/6/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
Health-based violations on Wenham Water Dept.
14 health-based rows in the tables above map to MCL or treatment-technique exceedances, verify each contaminant code on the federal SDWIS report for MA3320000.
Sources: EPA SDWIS · MassDEP, Drinking Water Program
Nationwide peers
23 violations · 3,942 served: nearest cross-state SDWIS matches.
Cross-state systems near this violation count
Nearest cross-state community systems (500+ served) by total SDWIS violations on record.
Cross-state systems with similar served population
Nearest cross-state systems by EPA SDWIS population_served (same 500+ sitemap gate).
What to do with Wenham Water Dept.
Use this system's EPA-reported record as a starting filter, not a final verdict.
- See how every tracked system in Massachusetts compares on the same EPA violation measures. Massachusetts systems
- Check whether PFAS was detected at this system under UCMR5 testing. PFAS guide
- Find and compare another public water system by name or PWSID. Search systems
EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 figures are informational only, not a substitute for a certified lab test of your own tap water.