Essex County, Massachusetts — public water systems

At a glance

67 active public water systems are filed under Essex County, Massachusetts in EPA's SDWIS records, together reporting 898,585 people served. The largest is Lynn Water and Sewer Comm, which reports serving 101,253 people. 39 are community water systems serving people where they live; the other 28 are non-community systems, such as schools, workplaces, campgrounds and gas stations with their own supply.

Dataset updated October 2026 . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO, refreshed quarterly.

Active systems

Population served

898.6K

Community systems

Groundwater share

55.2%

How does Essex County compare with other Massachusetts counties?

Essex County has the 10th-most active public water systems among the 33 counties listed for active Massachusetts systems in EPA records; among the 16 with 3 or more systems, the median has 104. Its systems report 898,585 people served in total, the 3rd-largest county figure in the state and 8.8% of the statewide total. The average system here reports serving 13,412 people, about twice the Massachusetts average of 6,275. Population figures are what each system reports; people served by more than one system, such as a wholesaler and the town that buys from it, are counted by each.

Where does Essex County's drinking water come from?

By primary water source, Essex County's active systems draw on groundwater (36, 54%), surface water (15, 22%), purchased surface water (15, 22%) and purchased groundwater (1, 1.5%). Overall, 55% rely mainly on groundwater (including purchased groundwater) and 45% on surface water, compared with 88% and 12% across Massachusetts. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. The county's largest system, Lynn Water and Sewer Comm, draws primarily on surface water.

What kinds of water systems operate in Essex County?

Essex County's active systems break down as 39 community systems (58%), 7 non-transient non-community systems (10%) and 21 transient non-community systems (31%). 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. A non-transient non-community water system regularly serves at least 25 of the same people for more than six months a year, but not where they live. Schools, factories, office buildings and hospitals with their own supply are typical examples. A transient non-community water system serves places where people do not stay long, such as gas stations and campgrounds, and regularly serves at least 25 people a day for at least 60 days a year. EPA lists their owner types as local government (58%) and private (42%).

The 50 largest water systems in Essex County

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Active public water systems in Essex County, Massachusetts
#	Water system	County	Population served	Type	Source
1	Lynn Water and Sewer Comm	Essex	101,253	Community	Surface water
2	Salem and Beverly Water Supply Board	Essex	90,330	Community	Surface water
3	Lawrence Water Works	Essex	89,143	Community	Surface water
4	Haverhill Water Dept	Essex	61,277	Community	Surface water
5	Peabody Water Dept.	Essex	54,481	Community	Surface water
6	Methuen Water Dept	Essex	53,059	Community	Surface water
7	Beverly Water Dept	Essex	47,461	Community	Purchased surface water
8	Salem Water Department	Essex	44,480	Community	Purchased surface water
9	Gloucester Public Utility Division	Essex	37,440	Community	Surface water
10	Andover Water Dept	Essex	36,569	Community	Surface water
11	North Andover Water Dept	Essex	30,915	Community	Surface water
12	Danvers Water Dept.	Essex	28,087	Community	Surface water
13	Saugus Water Dept. (MWRA)	Essex	27,844	Community	Purchased surface water
14	Marblehead Water Dept. (MWRA)	Essex	20,441	Community	Purchased surface water
15	Newburyport Water Department	Essex	20,335	Community	Surface water
16	Amesbury Dpw Water Div.	Essex	17,366	Community	Surface water
17	Swampscott Water Dept. (MWRA)	Essex	15,300	Community	Purchased surface water
18	Ipswich Dpu Water Dept	Essex	13,138	Community	Surface water
19	Rockport Water Dept	Essex	10,000	Community	Surface water
20	Salisbury Water Division	Essex	9,334	Community	Groundwater
21	Georgetown Water Department	Essex	8,766	Community	Groundwater
22	Lynnfield Center Water District	Essex	8,525	Community	Purchased surface water
23	Hamilton Water Dept	Essex	7,674	Community	Groundwater
24	Middleton Water Dept.	Essex	7,291	Community	Purchased surface water
25	Merrimac Water Department	Essex	6,988	Community	Groundwater
26	Groveland Water Department	Essex	6,508	Community	Groundwater
27	Rowley Water Department	Essex	6,161	Community	Groundwater
28	Topsfield Water Department	Essex	5,435	Community	Groundwater
29	Manchester By the Sea Dpw	Essex	5,201	Community	Surface water
30	Lynnfield Water Dist. (MWRA)	Essex	4,820	Community	Purchased surface water
31	West Newbury Water Department	Essex	4,704	Community	Purchased surface water
32	Wenham Water Dept.	Essex	3,942	Community	Groundwater
33	Essex Water Dept.	Essex	3,675	Community	Groundwater
34	Nahant Water Dept. (MWRA)	Essex	3,334	Community	Purchased surface water
35	Byfield Water District	Essex	2,228	Community	Groundwater
36	Pequot Highlands	Essex	900	Community	Purchased surface water
37	Rocky Mountain Spring Water Vending	Essex	500	Transient non-community	Purchased groundwater
38	Spofford Pond School	Essex	486	Non-transient non-community	Groundwater
39	Harry Lee Cole School	Essex	439	Non-transient non-community	Groundwater
40	Sagamore Spring Golf Club, Inc..	Essex	250	Transient non-community	Groundwater
41	The Water Store of Saugus (Vnd)	Essex	250	Transient non-community	Purchased surface water
42	Boxford Community Store Inc.	Essex	200	Transient non-community	Groundwater
43	Ipswich River Wildlife Refuge	Essex	180	Transient non-community	Groundwater
44	The Village Store Bldg.	Essex	150	Transient non-community	Groundwater
45	Andrews Farm Water Co.,Inc..	Essex	150	Community	Groundwater
46	Essex Meeting and Retreat Center, LLC	Essex	150	Transient non-community	Groundwater
47	Four Mile Village	Essex	133	Community	Groundwater
48	Willows at Boxford	Essex	132	Community	Groundwater
49	Far Corner Farm Golf Course Inc..	Essex	120	Transient non-community	Groundwater
50	Boxford Meeting Place	Essex	120	Transient non-community	Groundwater

All other water systems in Essex County (17)

The remaining active systems filed under Essex County, largest first, with the population each reports serving.

Essex County water systems: frequently asked questions

How many public water systems are in Essex County, Massachusetts?

EPA's SDWIS records file 67 active public water systems under Essex County, Massachusetts: 39 community systems (58%), 7 non-transient non-community systems (10%) and 21 transient non-community systems (31%).

Who supplies drinking water in Essex County, MA?

The largest community water systems filed under Essex County are Lynn Water and Sewer Comm (101,253 people served), Salem and Beverly Water Supply Board (90,330 people served) and Lawrence Water Works (89,143 people served). Which system serves a particular address depends on its service area, which EPA's SDWIS records do not include; a water bill or the local utility can confirm it.

Does Essex County's drinking water come from groundwater or surface water?

Of the 67 active public water systems in Essex County, 55% draw mainly on groundwater and 45% on surface water, counting purchased supplies. The largest system, Lynn Water and Sewer Comm, uses surface water.

Where can I find a water quality report for Essex County?

Each community water system must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1, covering the previous calendar year. 39 community systems are filed under Essex County, so the report to look for is the one from the system that supplies your address.

How can I check violations for a water system in Essex County?

Open the system's profile from the list on this page. Each profile shows the most recent Safe Drinking Water Act violations in EPA's records, with plain-English labels and whether each one is resolved. For current compliance status, EPA ECHO is the primary source.

More Massachusetts water systems

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, “Public water systems in Essex County, Massachusetts”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/massachusetts/essex (data as of October 1, 2026).