Public water system · MA1234001

Active

Harvard Forest

At a glance

Harvard Forest (PWSID MA1234001) is an active non-transient non-community water system in Worcester County, Massachusetts. It reports serving 80 people through 8 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as privately owned. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2016.

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

Population served

Service connections

Primary source

Groundwater

System type

NTNCWS

Non-transient non-community water system

System record

PWSIDMA1234001

System typeNon-transient non-community water system

Activity statusActive

Population served80

Service connections8

Primary water sourceGroundwater

Owner typePrivate

Primacy agencyMA state drinking water program

City servedPetersham

StateMassachusetts

ZIP01366

CountyWorcester County

How does Harvard Forest compare with other water systems in Worcester County?

By EPA's size categories, Harvard Forest is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Worcester County has 346 active public water systems. Its population served is well below the county average of 2,239 people per system, and accounts for less than 0.1% of the 774,523 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Massachusetts, the 1,636 active systems average 6,275 people each. Nationally, the average active non-transient non-community water system reports serving 430 people, so Harvard Forest is well below that figure.

What does “non-transient non-community water system” mean?

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. Massachusetts has 246 active non-transient non-community water systems, 15% 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 Harvard Forest?

EPA lists Harvard Forest as privately owned. 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. 252 of the 346 active systems in Worcester County (73%) are also privately owned.

Does Harvard Forest have drinking water violations?

Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2016. The violations listed here began between January 2000 and July 2016. By type: 9 monitoring and reporting, 2 contaminant level above the legal limit and 1 required treatment not met. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Lead and Copper Rule (2 of them). EPA lists 8 as archived, 3 as resolved and 1 as addressed. 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. Addressed means the violation is not resolved or archived and is covered by formal enforcement.

Began	Violation	Contaminant or rule	Health-based	Status
2016-07-01	Required treatment not metOCCT/SOWT Treatment Installation/Demonstration · code 58	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	Yes	Addressed
2004-10-01	Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	Yes	Resolved
2004-09-01	Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	Yes	Resolved
2000-07-01	Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	No	Resolved
2000-01-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Dalaponcode 2031	No	Archived
2000-01-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Diquatcode 2032	No	Archived
2000-01-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Lindane (gamma-BHC)code 2010	No	Archived
2000-01-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Simazinecode 2037	No	Archived
2000-01-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Toxaphenecode 2020	No	Archived
2000-01-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalatecode 2039	No	Archived
2000-01-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Dinosebcode 2041	No	Archived
2000-01-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipatecode 2035	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.

Harvard Forest: frequently asked questions

Who runs Harvard Forest?

Harvard Forest (PWSID MA1234001) is a non-transient non-community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the MA state drinking water program.

How many people does Harvard Forest serve?

Harvard Forest reports serving 80 people through 8 service connections in Worcester County, Massachusetts.

Where does Harvard Forest 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 Harvard Forest have any drinking water violations?

Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2016. 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 Harvard Forest'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, 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2016. For current results, consult EPA ECHO, or the MA state drinking water program.

Where can I find Harvard Forest's water quality report?

The annual Consumer Confidence Report requirement applies to community water systems. Harvard Forest is a non-transient non-community water system, so it is not required to publish one; like every public water system, it must notify the people it serves about violations under EPA's public notification rules.

Other water systems in Worcester County

Water system	County	Population served	Type	Source
Worcester Dpwp, Water Supply Division	Worcester	206,518	Community	Surface water
Fitchburg Dpw Division of Water Supply	Worcester	41,946	Community	Surface water
Leominster Water Division	Worcester	41,683	Community	Surface water
Shrewsbury Water Department	Worcester	38,325	Community	Groundwater
Milford Water Department	Worcester	30,379	Community	Surface water
Westborough Water Department	Worcester	21,567	Community	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, “Harvard Forest, PWSID MA1234001, Massachusetts”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/massachusetts/harvard-forest-ma1234001 (data as of October 1, 2026).