Public water system · MA1058000

Active

Cheshire Water Dept

At a glance

Cheshire Water Dept (PWSID MA1058000) is an active community water system in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. It reports serving 1,407 people through 571 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2017.

Dataset updated October 2026 . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.

Population served

1,407

Service connections

571

Primary source

Groundwater

System type

CWS

Community water system

System record

PWSIDMA1058000

System typeCommunity water system

Activity statusActive

Population served1,407

Service connections571

Primary water sourceGroundwater

Owner typeLocal government

Primacy agencyMA state drinking water program

City servedCheshire

StateMassachusetts

ZIP01225

CountyBerkshire County

How does Cheshire Water Dept compare with other water systems in Berkshire County?

By EPA's size categories, Cheshire Water Dept is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Berkshire County has 183 active public water systems. Its population served is about twice the county average of 730 people per system, and accounts for 1.1% of the 133,497 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 Cheshire Water Dept is well below 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. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 1,354 Massachusetts systems (83%) list groundwater as their primary source.

Who owns and regulates Cheshire Water Dept?

EPA lists Cheshire Water Dept 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. 33 of the 183 active systems in Berkshire County (18%) are also owned by a local government.

Does Cheshire Water Dept have drinking water violations?

Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2017. The violations listed here began between October 1998 and July 2017. By type: 9 monitoring and reporting, 2 contaminant level above the legal limit and 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (2 of them). EPA lists 11 as archived and 1 as resolved. 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. Resolved means at least one resolving action is on record: the system returned to compliance, the rule no longer applies, or no further action was needed.

Began	Violation	Contaminant or rule	Health-based	Status
2017-07-01	Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71	Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000	No	Resolved
2015-09-01	Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	Yes	Archived
2014-09-01	Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	Yes	Archived
1998-10-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Alachlor (Lasso)code 2051	No	Archived
1998-10-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	2,4,5-TP (Silvex)code 2110	No	Archived
1998-10-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Benzo(a)pyrenecode 2306	No	Archived
1998-10-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Lindane (gamma-BHC)code 2010	No	Archived
1998-10-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Carbofurancode 2046	No	Archived
1998-10-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Pentachlorophenolcode 2326	No	Archived
1998-10-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Dalaponcode 2031	No	Archived
1998-10-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Diquatcode 2032	No	Archived
1998-10-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Heptachlor epoxidecode 2067	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.

Cheshire Water Dept: frequently asked questions

Who runs Cheshire Water Dept?

Cheshire Water Dept (PWSID MA1058000) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the MA state drinking water program.

How many people does Cheshire Water Dept serve?

Cheshire Water Dept reports serving 1,407 people through 571 service connections in Berkshire County, Massachusetts.

Where does Cheshire Water Dept get its water?

EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as groundwater. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers.

Does Cheshire Water Dept have any drinking water violations?

Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2017. 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 Cheshire Water Dept'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, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2017. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the MA state drinking water program.

Where can I find Cheshire Water Dept's water quality report?

As a community water system, Cheshire Water Dept 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 Berkshire County

Water system	County	Population served	Type	Source
Pittsfield Dpu Water Dept	Berkshire	43,927	Community	Surface water
North Adams Water Dept	Berkshire	13,000	Community	Surface water
Lenox Dpw Water Division	Berkshire	9,800	Community	Surface water
Adams Fire District	Berkshire	7,945	Community	Groundwater
Williamstown Water Dept	Berkshire	7,326	Community	Groundwater
Dalton Fire District	Berkshire	6,330	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, “Cheshire Water Dept, PWSID MA1058000, Massachusetts”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/massachusetts/cheshire-water-dept-ma1058000 (data as of October 1, 2026).