Worcester County, Massachusetts — public water systems

At a glance

346 active public water systems are filed under Worcester County, Massachusetts in EPA's SDWIS records, together reporting 774,523 people served. The largest is Worcester Dpwp, Water Supply Division, which reports serving 206,518 people. 110 are community water systems serving people where they live; the other 236 are non-community systems, such as schools, workplaces, campgrounds and gas stations with their own supply.

Dataset updated October 2026 . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO, refreshed quarterly.

Active systems

346

Population served

774.5K

Community systems

110

Groundwater share

91%

How does Worcester County compare with other Massachusetts counties?

Worcester County has the most active public water systems among the 33 counties listed for active Massachusetts systems in EPA records; among the 16 with 3 or more systems, the median has 104. Its systems report 774,523 people served in total, the 5th-largest county figure in the state and 7.5% of the statewide total. The average system here reports serving 2,239 people, about 64% below the Massachusetts average of 6,275. Population figures are what each system reports; people served by more than one system, such as a wholesaler and the town that buys from it, are counted by each.

Where does Worcester County's drinking water come from?

By primary water source, Worcester County's active systems draw on groundwater (303, 88%), purchased surface water (20, 5.8%), surface water (11, 3.2%) and purchased groundwater (5, 1.4%). Overall, 91% rely mainly on groundwater (including purchased groundwater) and 9% on surface water, compared with 88% and 12% across Massachusetts. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. The county's largest system, Worcester Dpwp, Water Supply Division, draws primarily on surface water.

What kinds of water systems operate in Worcester County?

Worcester County's active systems break down as 110 community systems (32%), 74 non-transient non-community systems (21%) and 162 transient non-community systems (47%). 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. A non-transient non-community water system regularly serves at least 25 of the same people for more than six months a year, but not where they live. Schools, factories, office buildings and hospitals with their own supply are typical examples. A transient non-community water system serves places where people do not stay long, such as gas stations and campgrounds, and regularly serves at least 25 people a day for at least 60 days a year. EPA lists their owner types as private (73%), local government (23%), state government (2.6%) and federal government (1.2%).

The 50 largest water systems in Worcester County

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Active public water systems in Worcester County, Massachusetts
#	Water system	County	Population served	Type	Source
1	Worcester Dpwp, Water Supply Division	Worcester	206,518	Community	Surface water
2	Fitchburg Dpw Division of Water Supply	Worcester	41,946	Community	Surface water
3	Leominster Water Division	Worcester	41,683	Community	Surface water
4	Shrewsbury Water Department	Worcester	38,325	Community	Groundwater
5	Milford Water Department	Worcester	30,379	Community	Surface water
6	Westborough Water Department	Worcester	21,567	Community	Surface water
7	Gardner Water Department	Worcester	21,381	Community	Surface water
8	Southbridge Water Department	Worcester	19,562	Community	Surface water
9	Holden Water Division, Dpw	Worcester	18,016	Community	Purchased surface water
10	Webster Water Department	Worcester	17,776	Community	Groundwater
11	Clinton Water Dept	Worcester	15,428	Community	Surface water
12	Northborough Water Department (MWRA)	Worcester	13,551	Community	Purchased surface water
13	Auburn Water District	Worcester	12,255	Community	Purchased surface water
14	Uxbridge Dpw, Water Division	Worcester	11,612	Community	Groundwater
15	Ash/Win Joint Water Authority	Worcester	11,394	Community	Surface water
16	Aquarion Water Company, Millbury	Worcester	11,368	Community	Purchased surface water
17	Grafton Water District	Worcester	10,925	Community	Groundwater
18	Southborough Dpw Water Division (MWRA)	Worcester	10,638	Community	Purchased surface water
19	Athol Dpw Water Division	Worcester	10,587	Community	Groundwater
20	Blackstone Water Department	Worcester	9,463	Community	Groundwater
21	Northbridge Water Division	Worcester	8,127	Community	Purchased groundwater under influence
22	Whitinsville Water Company	Worcester	7,899	Community	Groundwater under influence of surface water
23	Aquarion Water Company Oxford	Worcester	7,384	Community	Groundwater
24	Lunenburg Water District	Worcester	7,219	Community	Groundwater
25	Spencer Water Department	Worcester	7,037	Community	Groundwater
26	West Boylston Water District	Worcester	6,919	Community	Purchased surface water
27	Sterling Water Department	Worcester	6,715	Community	Groundwater
28	Templeton Munic. Light and Water Plant	Worcester	6,159	Community	Groundwater
29	Rutland Water Department	Worcester	6,025	Community	Surface water
30	Hopedale Water Department	Worcester	6,017	Community	Purchased surface water
31	Lancaster Water Department	Worcester	6,000	Community	Groundwater
32	Winchendon Water Department	Worcester	5,706	Community	Purchased surface water
33	Dudley Water Department	Worcester	5,515	Community	Groundwater
34	Sturbridge Water Department	Worcester	4,746	Community	Groundwater under influence of surface water
35	Upton Dpw Water/Wastewater Division	Worcester	4,420	Community	Groundwater
36	Douglas Water Department	Worcester	4,400	Community	Groundwater
37	Paxton Water Department	Worcester	4,300	Community	Purchased surface water
38	Westminster Department of Public Works	Worcester	3,889	Community	Purchased surface water
39	North Brookfield Water Department	Worcester	3,863	Community	Surface water
40	Cherry Valley/ Rochdale Water District	Worcester	3,696	Community	Purchased surface water
41	Ashburnham Water Department	Worcester	3,680	Community	Purchased surface water
42	Boylston Water District	Worcester	3,343	Community	Groundwater
43	South Grafton Water District	Worcester	3,262	Community	Groundwater under influence of surface water
44	West Brookfield Water Department	Worcester	3,217	Community	Groundwater
45	Leicester Water Supply District	Worcester	3,200	Community	Purchased surface water
46	Pilot Travel Center	Worcester	3,000	Non-transient non-community	Groundwater
47	Wilkinsonville Water District	Worcester	2,773	Community	Groundwater
48	Barre Water Department	Worcester	2,610	Community	Groundwater
49	Wachusett Mountain Ski Area	Worcester	2,500	Non-transient non-community	Groundwater
50	Warren Water District	Worcester	2,289	Community	Groundwater

All other water systems in Worcester County (296)

The remaining active systems filed under Worcester County, largest first, with the population each reports serving.

Worcester County water systems: frequently asked questions

How many public water systems are in Worcester County, Massachusetts?

EPA's SDWIS records file 346 active public water systems under Worcester County, Massachusetts: 110 community systems (32%), 74 non-transient non-community systems (21%) and 162 transient non-community systems (47%).

Who supplies drinking water in Worcester County, MA?

The largest community water systems filed under Worcester County are Worcester Dpwp, Water Supply Division (206,518 people served), Fitchburg Dpw Division of Water Supply (41,946 people served) and Leominster Water Division (41,683 people served). Which system serves a particular address depends on its service area, which EPA's SDWIS records do not include; a water bill or the local utility can confirm it.

Does Worcester County's drinking water come from groundwater or surface water?

Of the 346 active public water systems in Worcester County, 91% draw mainly on groundwater and 9% on surface water, counting purchased supplies. The largest system, Worcester Dpwp, Water Supply Division, uses surface water.

Where can I find a water quality report for Worcester County?

Each community water system must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1, covering the previous calendar year. 110 community systems are filed under Worcester County, so the report to look for is the one from the system that supplies your address.

How can I check violations for a water system in Worcester County?

Open the system's profile from the list on this page. Each profile shows the most recent Safe Drinking Water Act violations in EPA's records, with plain-English labels and whether each one is resolved. For current compliance status, EPA ECHO is the primary source.

More Massachusetts water systems

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, “Public water systems in Worcester County, Massachusetts”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/massachusetts/worcester (data as of October 1, 2026).