Public water system · MA3049000
ActiveCambridge Water Department
At a glance
Cambridge Water Department (PWSID MA3049000) is an active community water system in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. It reports serving 118,214 people through 15,001 service connections. Its primary water source is surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in April 2019.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
118,214
Service connections
15,001
Primary source
SW
Surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Cambridge Water Department compare with other water systems in Middlesex County?
By EPA's size categories, Cambridge Water Department is a very large system (more than 100,000 people). Middlesex County has 204 active public water systems, and Cambridge Water Department is the 2nd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 15 times the county average of 7,986 people per system, and accounts for 7.3% of the 1,629,099 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Massachusetts, the 1,636 active systems average 6,275 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Cambridge Water Department is about 18 times that figure.
What does “community water system” mean?
A community water system serves at least 15 connections used by year-round residents, or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. Homes, apartments and mobile-home parks are served by these. Massachusetts has 531 active community water systems, 32% of the state's 1,636 active systems. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs. 76 Massachusetts systems (4.6%) list surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Cambridge Water Department?
EPA lists Cambridge Water Department as owned by a local government. The MA state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 66 of the 204 active systems in Middlesex County (32%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Cambridge Water Department have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in April 2019. The violations listed here began between April 2019 and April 2019. By type: 12 monitoring and reporting. The contaminants or rules involved are Toxaphene, Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), total, Ethylene dibromide (EDB) and Pentachlorophenol. EPA lists 12 as archived. Archived means the violation was not marked resolved but is more than five years past the end of the noncompliance period, so it no longer counts toward current compliance status.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Toxaphenecode 2020 | No | Archived |
| 2019-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), totalcode 2383 | No | Archived |
| 2019-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Ethylene dibromide (EDB)code 2946 | No | Archived |
| 2019-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Pentachlorophenolcode 2326 | No | Archived |
| 2019-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 2,4,5-TP (Silvex)code 2110 | No | Archived |
| 2019-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Lindane (gamma-BHC)code 2010 | No | Archived |
| 2019-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Chlordanecode 2959 | No | Archived |
| 2019-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 2,4-Dcode 2105 | No | Archived |
| 2019-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Simazinecode 2037 | No | Archived |
| 2019-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Heptachlorcode 2065 | No | Archived |
| 2019-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Carbofurancode 2046 | No | Archived |
| 2019-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP)code 2931 | No | Archived |
The 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, newest first.Labels and codes come from EPA's SDWIS reference tables. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found. "Health-based" marks violations of a legal limit or required treatment.
Cambridge Water Department: frequently asked questions
Who runs Cambridge Water Department?
Cambridge Water Department (PWSID MA3049000) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the MA state drinking water program.
How many people does Cambridge Water Department serve?
Cambridge Water Department reports serving 118,214 people through 15,001 service connections in Middlesex County, Massachusetts.
Where does Cambridge Water Department get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as surface water. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs.
Does Cambridge Water Department have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in April 2019. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found.
Is Cambridge Water Department's water safe to drink?
AquaCensus shows EPA compliance records, not current water test results, so it cannot say whether the water is safe at a given moment. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in April 2019. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the MA state drinking water program.
Where can I find Cambridge Water Department's water quality report?
As a community water system, Cambridge Water Department must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1 each year, covering the previous calendar year. The system can provide a copy on request.
Other water systems in Middlesex County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowell Regional Water Utility | Middlesex | 120,418 | Community | Surface water |
| Newton Water Dept. (MWRA) | Middlesex | 88,931 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Somerville Water Dept. (MWRA) | Middlesex | 81,045 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Framingham Water Dept. (MWRA) | Middlesex | 72,362 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Malden Water Division (MWRA) | Middlesex | 66,263 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Waltham Water Department | Middlesex | 65,218 | Community | Purchased surface water |
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About this data
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and SDWA violation records, via EPA ECHO, as published October 1, 2026 — AquaCensus refreshes it quarterly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: AquaCensus, “Cambridge Water Department, PWSID MA3049000, Massachusetts”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/massachusetts/cambridge-water-department-ma3049000 (data as of October 1, 2026).