Public water system record

Cambridge Water Department

Serves Cambridge, Middlesex County, MA · 118,214 people served

Federal records show no health-based violations and 31 monitoring/reporting issues for Cambridge Water Department in the last ten years.

MA3049000
CAMBRIDGE
MA
118,214 served

System profile

Source water Surface water

ZIP 02138

EPA system ID MA3049000

Verify this system on EPA ECHO →

Health-based violations, last 10 years: 0
Resolved: 0
Unresolved: 0
Any acute record: No
Monitoring issues, last 10 years: 31

Key facts

Cambridge Water Department draws water from 4 surface water intakes.
Most recent formal enforcement: compliance order (no penalty) by Massachusetts, December 2019.
Record on file since 1992, with 2 health-based violations before October 19, 2016.
Lead pipe inventory: 2,058 lead and 104 unknown out of 15,041 service lines.

Check whether Cambridge Water Department serves your address

Health-based violations

Since October 2016

Violation data reflects EPA records through March 2026. For the most current status, visit the EPA ECHO database.

None since October 2016.

Monitoring and reporting issues

Since October 2016

Missed tests or reports, not contaminants found above a limit.

Issue	Start date	Status
ETHYLENE DIBROMIDE Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
Endrin Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
2,4-D Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
Chlordane Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
Carbofuran Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
Atrazine Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
2,3,7,8-TCDD Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
Simazine Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
Picloram Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
LASSO Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
OXAMYL Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
Hexachlorocyclopentadiene Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
HEXACHLOROBENZENE Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
Glyphosate Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
Endothall Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
Diquat Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
Dinoseb Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
Dalapon Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
Benzo(a)pyrene Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
Total Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
BHC-GAMMA Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
Methoxychlor Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
2,4,5-TP Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
Toxaphene Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
Pentachlorophenol Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
Heptachlor Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
Heptachlor epoxide Monitoring and reporting	Apr 1, 2019	Archived Violation period ended. EPA no longer counts it toward current compliance, but no fix was formally recorded.
Consumer Confidence Rule OTHER	Jul 1, 2017	Resolved

Full record since 1992

EPA's records for Cambridge Water Department go back to 1992. Before October 19, 2016 they list 2 health-based violations (2 archived by EPA without a recorded fix) and 33 monitoring or reporting violations.

Violations that began in	Health-based	Monitoring and reporting
1990s	2	33
October 19, 2016 to 2019	0	31

Most recent health-based violation before October 19, 2016: Total Coliform, began August 1994, Archived.

Show all 2 health-based violations before October 19, 2016

Contaminant	Start date	Status
Total Coliform Contaminant limit exceeded	Aug 1, 1994	Archived
Surface Water Treatment Rule Treatment technique failure	Jan 1, 1992	Archived

Enforcement actions

Massachusetts regulators took 4 formal enforcement actions against Cambridge Water Department between 1993 and 2019. The most recent was a compliance order (no penalty) in December 2019.

Date	By	Action	Violations covered
Dec 20, 2019	Massachusetts	Compliance order (no penalty)	30 violations: Heptachlor, Pentachlorophenol, Toxaphene, 2,4,5-TP, BHC-GAMMA
Jul 12, 2018	Massachusetts	Compliance order (no penalty)	1 violation: Consumer Confidence Rule
Apr 9, 1998	Massachusetts	Compliance order (no penalty)	33 violations: Methoxychlor, Toxaphene, Glyphosate, Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate, OXAMYL
Jun 29, 1993	Massachusetts	Compliance order (no penalty)	1 violation (1 health-based): Surface Water Treatment Rule

Where the water comes from

Cambridge Water Department draws water from 4 surface water intakes. It also buys water from MWRA.

Buys water from

MWRA Chelsea, MA

Annual water quality report

Cambridge Water Department must give its customers an annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report) by July 1, with the levels its tests found in the previous year.

Systems serving 10,000 or more people must mail or deliver the report to every customer, and from 2027 they must send it twice a year.

Find a posted report with EPA's Consumer Confidence Report search

Testing your own water

To test the water at your tap, or a private well this record does not cover, use a laboratory certified for drinking water by Massachusetts.

Certified drinking water labs by state EPA guidance for private wells

Lead pipes

Total service lines reported	15,041
Lead pipes confirmed	2,058
Galvanized pipes needing replacement	137
Pipes with unknown material	104
Non-lead pipes confirmed	12,742
Pipes that may be lead or unknown	14.4% (2,162)
Inventory submitted	Submission on record
EPA reporting status	Reported all required service line types

This water system has confirmed lead service lines. Ask the utility whether your address has one.

Verify on EPA SDWIS EPA Get the Lead Out guidance