Community Water System · PWS MA4224000
Orleans Water Department
Operator location Orleans, Massachusetts - larger served population (> 3,309) at 18,921 people served; 40 SDWIS violations on record from groundwater sources.
- 18,921
- People served (this PWS) Larger third of systems
- 40
- EPA violations (this PWS) Middle third of systems
- 3
- Health-based (this PWS) Middle third by health-based share
- No PFAS
- UCMR5 (this PWS) Tested, none detected
Orleans Water Department standing, mid SDWIS violation third
18,921 people served (SDWIS) - larger served population (> 3,309). Corpus terciles use 29,740 systems serving 500+ (the sitemap cohort). Health-based share 8% is middle-third health share (≤ 23%). UCMR5: UCMR5 tested, none detected. Population rank #2,847 of 29,740 among systems serving 500+.
The verdict
Orleans Water Department lands in the middle third by violation volume (40), large enough for peer comparisons without matching the fleet's heaviest ledgers. Population served is large (18,921; larger served population (> 3,309)), so household exposure scale sits behind the violation mix. Health-based share is 8% (middle-third health share (≤ 23%)). UCMR5 tested this system and reported no PFAS above the minimum reporting level.
- #2,847 of 29,740
- Population · /systems
- #120 of 418
- Population · MA
- 40
- Total EPA violations on record
- 8%
- Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
Population ordinals match the sitemap cohort (systems serving 500+, population_served DESC). See methodology · corpus placement.
Based on EPA SDWIS violation history and UCMR5 PFAS testing only, not water taste, odor, infrastructure age, or contaminants outside the federally tracked set.
System Details
- System Type
- Community
- Owner Type
- Local
- Connections
- 5,363
- County
- Barnstable
- School/Daycare
- No
- MCL Violations
- 3
- Monitoring Violations
- 32
- Treatment Tech Violations
- 0
Violation History
Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.
| Contaminant | Category | Count | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coliform (TCR) | MCL | 3 | 1997 |
| Toxaphene | MR | 1 | 2024 |
| 2,4,5-TP | MR | 1 | 2024 |
| Methoxychlor | MR | 1 | 2024 |
| BHC-GAMMA | MR | 1 | 2024 |
| Total Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) | MR | 1 | 2024 |
| Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate | MR | 1 | 2024 |
| Atrazine | MR | 1 | 2024 |
| Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate | MR | 1 | 2024 |
| Dinoseb | MR | 1 | 2024 |
| Diquat | MR | 1 | 2024 |
| HEXACHLOROBENZENE | MR | 1 | 2024 |
| Hexachlorocyclopentadiene | MR | 1 | 2024 |
| OXAMYL | MR | 1 | 2024 |
| Simazine | MR | 1 | 2024 |
| Carbofuran | MR | 1 | 2024 |
| Chlordane | MR | 1 | 2024 |
| ETHYLENE DIBROMIDE | MR | 1 | 2024 |
| Nitrite | MR | 1 | 1996 |
| Nitrate | MR | 1 | 1996 |
| Pentachlorophenol | MR | 1 | 2024 |
| LASSO | MR | 1 | 2024 |
| Benzo(a)pyrene | MR | 1 | 2024 |
| Picloram | MR | 1 | 2024 |
| Heptachlor | MR | 1 | 2024 |
| Dalapon | MR | 1 | 2024 |
| 2,4-D | MR | 1 | 2024 |
| Endothall | MR | 1 | 2024 |
| 1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE | MR | 1 | 2024 |
| 2,3,7,8-TCDD | MR | 1 | 2024 |
Violation Count vs. the National Corpus
Orleans Water Department has 40 recorded EPA violations, 50% of the 29,740 public water systems serving 500+ people nationwide carry fewer, and 49% carry more. 8% of this system's own violations are health-based (3 of 40), and it ranks #2,847 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)
40 Around the middle fewer violations than 49% 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
How many violations vs. how serious, among peer systems
Orleans Water Department plotted against 29 peer public water systems (500+ people served), by total violation count (x) and the share of those violations that are health-based (y). The crosshair sits at this sample's own median on each axis. A high violation count does not automatically mean a serious record: most monitoring and reporting violations are minor, not health-based.
Violation volume vs. health-based share
PFAS Testing Results (UCMR5)
Results from EPA's Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule. 0 of 116 samples detected PFAS.
| Contaminant | Date | Result | MRL | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8:2 FTS | 8/7/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| NMeFOSAA | 8/7/2024 | <6.00 ppt | 6.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 9Cl-PF3ONS | 8/7/2024 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 11Cl-PF3OUdS | 8/7/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| HFPO-DA | 8/7/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFBA | 8/7/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 6:2 FTS | 8/7/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 4:2 FTS | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| ADONA | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFMPA | 8/7/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFPeA | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFEESA | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFPeS | 8/7/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHpS | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFTA | 8/7/2024 | <8.00 ppt | 8.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| NEtFOSAA | 8/7/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFUnA | 8/7/2024 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFMBA | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFTrDA | 8/7/2024 | <7.00 ppt | 7.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHpA | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHxA | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFBS | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| NFDHA | 8/7/2024 | <20.00 ppt | 20.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHxS | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFNA | 8/7/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFOS | 8/7/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFOA | 8/7/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFDA | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFDoA | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| HFPO-DA | 8/7/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| ADONA | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 9Cl-PF3ONS | 8/7/2024 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 11Cl-PF3OUdS | 8/7/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFUnA | 8/7/2024 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFBS | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHxA | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFDoA | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFDA | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFOA | 8/7/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFBA | 8/7/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFNA | 8/7/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHpS | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHxS | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFOS | 8/7/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFPeS | 8/7/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHpA | 8/7/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| NMeFOSAA | 8/7/2024 | <6.00 ppt | 6.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| NEtFOSAA | 8/7/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFTrDA | 8/7/2024 | <7.00 ppt | 7.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| NFDHA | 8/7/2024 | <20.00 ppt | 20.00 ppt | Not Detected |
Population served record for Orleans Water Department
EPA SDWIS lists 18,921 people served and 5,363 connections for this PWS, confirm the service-area footprint on the federal report before comparing to municipal census totals.
Sources: EPA SDWIS · MassDEP, Drinking Water Program
Nationwide peers
40 violations · 18,921 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 Orleans Water Department
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.
Every figure on PlainWater is rendered directly from EPA SDWIS drinking-water data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.