Public water system · MA3254000
ActiveRowley Water Department
At a glance
Rowley Water Department (PWSID MA3254000) is an active community water system in Essex County, Massachusetts. It reports serving 6,161 people through 2,008 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 April 2023.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
6,161
Service connections
2,008
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Rowley Water Department compare with other water systems in Essex County?
By EPA's size categories, Rowley 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 0.7% 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 Rowley 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 Rowley Water Department?
EPA lists Rowley 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 Rowley 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 April 2023. The violations listed here began between April 2019 and April 2023. By type: 12 monitoring and reporting. The contaminants or rules involved are Enterococci, Dinoseb, Pentachlorophenol and Simazine. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Source Water (GWR) · code 34 | Enterococcicode 3002 | No | Addressed |
| 2019-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Dinosebcode 2041 | No | Archived |
| 2019-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Pentachlorophenolcode 2326 | No | Archived |
| 2019-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Simazinecode 2037 | No | Archived |
| 2019-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Heptachlor epoxidecode 2067 | No | Archived |
| 2019-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Heptachlorcode 2065 | No | Archived |
| 2019-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Picloramcode 2040 | No | Archived |
| 2019-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), totalcode 2383 | No | Archived |
| 2019-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Dalaponcode 2031 | No | Archived |
| 2019-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipatecode 2035 | No | Archived |
| 2019-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Hexachlorocyclopentadienecode 2042 | No | Archived |
| 2019-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 2,3,7,8-TCDD (dioxin)code 2063 | 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.
Rowley Water Department: frequently asked questions
Who runs Rowley Water Department?
Rowley Water Department (PWSID MA3254000) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the MA state drinking water program.
How many people does Rowley Water Department serve?
Rowley Water Department reports serving 6,161 people through 2,008 service connections in Essex County, Massachusetts.
Where does Rowley 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 Rowley 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 April 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 Rowley 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 April 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 Rowley Water Department's water quality report?
As a community water system, Rowley 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, “Rowley Water Department, PWSID MA3254000, Massachusetts”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/massachusetts/rowley-water-department-ma3254000 (data as of October 1, 2026).