Public water system · MA1289000
ActiveSunderland Water District
At a glance
Sunderland Water District (PWSID MA1289000) is an active community water system in Franklin County, Massachusetts. It reports serving 3,190 people through 997 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, 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in September 2014.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
3,190
Service connections
997
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Sunderland Water District compare with other water systems in Franklin County?
By EPA's size categories, Sunderland Water District is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Franklin County has 113 active public water systems, and Sunderland Water District is the 5th-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 6.1 times the county average of 521 people per system, and accounts for 5.4% of the 58,894 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 Sunderland Water District is about half of 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 Sunderland Water District?
EPA lists Sunderland Water District 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. 40 of the 113 active systems in Franklin County (35%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Sunderland Water District have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in September 2014. The violations listed here began between April 2001 and September 2014. By type: 8 monitoring and reporting, 3 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) (3 of them). EPA lists 11 as archived and 1 as resolved. 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.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-09-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Archived |
| 2003-11-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Archived |
| 2003-09-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Archived |
| 2001-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2001-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Antimonycode 1074 | No | Archived |
| 2001-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Berylliumcode 1075 | No | Archived |
| 2001-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Cadmiumcode 1015 | No | Archived |
| 2001-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | cis-1,2-Dichloroethylenecode 2380 | No | Archived |
| 2001-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Archived |
| 2001-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Xylenes, Totalcode 2955 | No | Archived |
| 2001-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Dichloromethanecode 2964 | No | Archived |
| 2001-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzenecode 2378 | 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.
Sunderland Water District: frequently asked questions
Who runs Sunderland Water District?
Sunderland Water District (PWSID MA1289000) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the MA state drinking water program.
How many people does Sunderland Water District serve?
Sunderland Water District reports serving 3,190 people through 997 service connections in Franklin County, Massachusetts.
Where does Sunderland Water District 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 Sunderland Water District 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 September 2014. 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 Sunderland Water District'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 September 2014. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the MA state drinking water program.
Where can I find Sunderland Water District's water quality report?
As a community water system, Sunderland Water District 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 Franklin County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenfield Water Department | Franklin | 17,768 | Community | Surface water |
| Turners Falls Water Dept | Franklin | 8,080 | Community | Groundwater |
| Orange Water Dept | Franklin | 6,526 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| South Deerfield Water Supply District | Franklin | 3,800 | Community | Surface water |
| Shelburne Falls Fire District | Franklin | 1,806 | Community | Groundwater |
| Bernardston Fire Water Dist | Franklin | 1,471 | Community | Groundwater |
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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, “Sunderland Water District, PWSID MA1289000, Massachusetts”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/massachusetts/sunderland-water-district-ma1289000 (data as of October 1, 2026).