Public water system · MA3180000
ActiveMerrimac Water Department
At a glance
Merrimac Water Department (PWSID MA3180000) is an active community water system in Essex County, Massachusetts. It reports serving 6,988 people through 1,980 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, none is health-based, and the most recent began in June 2021.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
6,988
Service connections
1,980
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Merrimac Water Department compare with other water systems in Essex County?
By EPA's size categories, Merrimac Water Department is a medium system (3,301 to 10,000 people). Essex County has 67 active public water systems. Its population served is about half of the county average of 13,412 people per system, and accounts for 0.8% of the 898,585 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 Merrimac Water Department is roughly in line with 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 Merrimac Water Department?
EPA lists Merrimac 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. 39 of the 67 active systems in Essex County (58%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Merrimac 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 June 2021. The violations listed here began between January 2019 and June 2021. By type: 12 monitoring and reporting. The contaminants or rules involved are Lead and Copper Rule, Pentachlorophenol, Glyphosate and Carbofuran. EPA lists 11 as archived 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. Addressed means the violation is not resolved or archived and is covered by formal enforcement.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-06-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Addressed |
| 2019-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Pentachlorophenolcode 2326 | No | Archived |
| 2019-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Glyphosatecode 2034 | No | Archived |
| 2019-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Carbofurancode 2046 | No | Archived |
| 2019-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Atrazinecode 2050 | No | Archived |
| 2019-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Heptachlorcode 2065 | No | Archived |
| 2019-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Picloramcode 2040 | No | Archived |
| 2019-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Diquatcode 2032 | No | Archived |
| 2019-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Oxamylcode 2036 | No | Archived |
| 2019-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Hexachlorobenzenecode 2274 | No | Archived |
| 2019-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Heptachlor epoxidecode 2067 | No | Archived |
| 2019-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Alachlor (Lasso)code 2051 | 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.
Merrimac Water Department: frequently asked questions
Who runs Merrimac Water Department?
Merrimac Water Department (PWSID MA3180000) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the MA state drinking water program.
How many people does Merrimac Water Department serve?
Merrimac Water Department reports serving 6,988 people through 1,980 service connections in Essex County, Massachusetts.
Where does Merrimac 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 Merrimac 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 June 2021. 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 Merrimac 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 June 2021. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the MA state drinking water program.
Where can I find Merrimac Water Department's water quality report?
As a community water system, Merrimac 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 Essex County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lynn Water and Sewer Comm | Essex | 101,253 | Community | Surface water |
| Salem and Beverly Water Supply Board | Essex | 90,330 | Community | Surface water |
| Lawrence Water Works | Essex | 89,143 | Community | Surface water |
| Haverhill Water Dept | Essex | 61,277 | Community | Surface water |
| Peabody Water Dept. | Essex | 54,481 | Community | Surface water |
| Methuen Water Dept | Essex | 53,059 | 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, “Merrimac Water Department, PWSID MA3180000, Massachusetts”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/massachusetts/merrimac-water-department-ma3180000 (data as of October 1, 2026).