Public water system · MA4218000
ActiveNorton Water Department
At a glance
Norton Water Department (PWSID MA4218000) is an active community water system in Bristol County, Massachusetts. It reports serving 19,161 people through 5,932 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, 10 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2023.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
19,161
Service connections
5,932
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Norton Water Department compare with other water systems in Bristol County?
By EPA's size categories, Norton Water Department is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Bristol County has 133 active public water systems. Its population served is about 3.8 times the county average of 5,087 people per system, and accounts for 2.8% of the 676,507 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 Norton Water Department is about 186% above 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 Norton Water Department?
EPA lists Norton 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. 31 of the 133 active systems in Bristol County (23%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Norton Water Department have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 10 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2023. The violations listed here began between September 1996 and July 2023. By type: 10 contaminant level above the legal limit, 1 monitoring and reporting and 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Addressed |
| 2021-10-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | Yes | Archived |
| 2013-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2007-08-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2002-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Acute (TCR) · code 21 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Archived |
| 2001-06-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Archived |
| 2000-10-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Archived |
| 2000-05-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Archived |
| 1999-06-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherNotification, Public · code 06 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1999-06-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Archived |
| 1998-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Acute (TCR) · code 21 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Archived |
| 1996-09-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | 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.
Norton Water Department: frequently asked questions
Who runs Norton Water Department?
Norton Water Department (PWSID MA4218000) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the MA state drinking water program.
How many people does Norton Water Department serve?
Norton Water Department reports serving 19,161 people through 5,932 service connections in Bristol County, Massachusetts.
Where does Norton 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 Norton Water Department have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 10 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2023. 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 Norton 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, 10 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2023. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the MA state drinking water program.
Where can I find Norton Water Department's water quality report?
As a community water system, Norton 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 Bristol County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inima USA / Aquaria LLC | Bristol | 105,643 | Community | Surface water |
| City of New Bedford Dpi | Bristol | 101,079 | Community | Surface water |
| Fall River Water Department | Bristol | 94,000 | Community | Surface water |
| Taunton Water Division | Bristol | 62,165 | Community | Surface water |
| Attleboro Water Dept | Bristol | 46,461 | Community | Surface water |
| North Attleboro Water Dept | Bristol | 31,410 | Community | Groundwater |
Related pages
Working with water-system records? Pro adds alerts, change history and CSV export ($49/mo); Enterprise adds full national files, the API and an MCP server for AI tools.
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, “Norton Water Department, PWSID MA4218000, Massachusetts”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/massachusetts/norton-water-department-ma4218000 (data as of October 1, 2026).