Public water system · MA2125000

Active

Harvard Water Department

At a glance

Harvard Water Department (PWSID MA2125000) is an active community water system in Worcester County, Massachusetts. It reports serving 1,422 people through 99 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 December 2016.

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

Population served

1,422

Service connections

Primary source

Groundwater

System type

CWS

Community water system

System record

PWSIDMA2125000

System typeCommunity water system

Activity statusActive

Population served1,422

Service connections99

Primary water sourceGroundwater

Owner typeLocal government

Primacy agencyMA state drinking water program

City servedHarvard

StateMassachusetts

ZIP01451

CountyWorcester County

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

By EPA's size categories, Harvard Water Department is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Worcester County has 346 active public water systems. Its population served is about 36% below the county average of 2,239 people per system, and accounts for 0.2% 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 community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Harvard Water Department 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 Harvard Water Department?

EPA lists Harvard 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. 80 of the 346 active systems in Worcester County (23%) are also owned by a local government.

Does Harvard Water Department have drinking water violations?

Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in December 2016. The violations listed here began between December 2003 and December 2016. 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) (8 of them). EPA lists 10 as resolved and 2 as archived. 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. 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
2016-12-30	Monitoring and reportingLead Consumer Notice · code 66	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	No	Resolved
2016-01-01	Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	Yes	Resolved
2013-07-01	Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71	Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000	No	Resolved
2013-02-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	No	Resolved
2010-12-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Repeat Minor (TCR) · code 26	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	No	Resolved
2009-10-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	No	Resolved
2009-09-01	Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	Yes	Resolved
2009-07-01	Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	No	Resolved
2007-07-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Berylliumcode 1075	No	Resolved
2004-11-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	No	Archived
2004-10-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Repeat Minor (TCR) · code 26	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	No	Archived
2003-12-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	No	Resolved

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 Water Department: frequently asked questions

Who runs Harvard Water Department?

Harvard Water Department (PWSID MA2125000) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the MA state drinking water program.

How many people does Harvard Water Department serve?

Harvard Water Department reports serving 1,422 people through 99 service connections in Worcester County, Massachusetts.

Where does Harvard Water Department 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 Water Department 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 December 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 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, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in December 2016. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the MA state drinking water program.

Where can I find Harvard Water Department's water quality report?

As a community water system, Harvard 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 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 Water Department, PWSID MA2125000, Massachusetts”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/massachusetts/harvard-water-department-ma2125000 (data as of October 1, 2026).