Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) violations in Massachusetts
158 active public water systems in Massachusetts had a Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) violation in the past three years, 157 of them in the latest quarter of EPA's data. What Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) is and why it matters.
Health effects: Lead: no safe level for children. Causes irreversible neurological damage, impaired cognitive development, behavioral problems, and reduced IQ in children under 6. In adults: hypertension, cardiovascular disease, kidney damage. Copper: acute gastrointestinal distress at high levels; liver/kidney damage at very high chronic levels.
Systems with a Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) violation
Latest quarter first, then largest first| System | Serves | Status | Rules violated, 3 yr | Unresolved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Boston Water and Sewer Commission (mwra) Boston · Suffolk County |
675,647 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Lowell Regional Water Utility Lowell · Middlesex County |
120,418 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Fall River Water Department Fall River · Bristol County |
94,000 | 2 | 1 | |
|
Lawrence Water Works Lawrence · Essex County |
89,143 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Newton Water Dept. (mwra) Newton · Middlesex County |
88,931 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Somerville Water Dept. (mwra) Somerville · Middlesex County |
81,045 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Malden Water Division (mwra) Malden · Middlesex County |
66,263 | 2 | 2 | |
|
Waltham Water Department Waltham · Middlesex County |
65,218 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Revere Water Division (mwra) Revere · Suffolk County |
62,186 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Medford Water Dept. (mwra) Medford · Middlesex County |
61,700 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Haverhill Water Dept Haverhill · Essex County |
61,277 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Methuen Water Dept Methuen · Essex County |
53,059 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Everett Water Dept. (mwra) Everett · Middlesex County |
49,075 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Andover Water Dept Andover · Essex County |
36,569 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Lexington Water Dept. (mwra) Lexington · Middlesex County |
34,074 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Franklin Water Department Franklin · Norfolk County |
33,706 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Abington/rockland Joint Wtr. Works Abington · Plymouth County |
33,387 | 2 | 1 | |
|
North Attleboro Water Dept North Attleborough · Bristol County |
31,410 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Tewksbury Water Department Tewksbury · Middlesex County |
31,342 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Melrose Water Division (mwra) Melrose · Middlesex County |
29,938 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Wellesley Water Division Wellesley · Norfolk County |
29,550 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Bridgewater Water Department Bridgewater · Plymouth County |
28,633 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Milton Water Dept. (mwra) Milton · Norfolk County |
28,630 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Wannacomet Water Company Nantucket · Nantucket County |
27,703 | 7 | 2 | |
|
Belmont Water Dept. (mwra) Belmont · Middlesex County |
27,442 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Wakefield Water Dept Wakefield · Middlesex County |
27,090 | 2 | 1 | |
|
Canton Water Dept Canton · Norfolk County |
22,766 | 2 | 1 | |
|
Wilmington Water Dept Wilmington · Middlesex County |
21,654 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Newburyport Water Department Newburyport · Essex County |
20,335 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Winthrop Water Division, (mwra) Winthrop · Suffolk County |
19,316 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Norton Water Department Norton · Bristol County |
19,161 | 2 | 1 | |
|
Westford Water Department Westford · Middlesex County |
18,848 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Ashland Water and Sewer Dept. Ashland · Middlesex County |
18,832 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Concord Water Dept Concord · Middlesex County |
18,788 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Sudbury Water District Sudbury · Middlesex County |
18,416 | 3 | 3 | |
|
Amesbury Dpw Water Div. Amesbury · Essex County |
17,366 | 2 | 1 | |
|
Longmeadow Water Dept Longmeadow · Hampden County |
15,853 | 2 | 1 | |
|
Holliston Water Department Holliston · Middlesex County |
15,139 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Whitman Water System Whitman · Plymouth County |
14,947 | 1 | 1 | |
|
East Bridgewater Water Dept East Bridgewater · Plymouth County |
14,526 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Wayland Water Department Wayland · Middlesex County |
14,096 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Ipswich Dpu Water Dept Ipswich · Essex County |
13,138 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Norwell Water Department Norwell · Plymouth County |
11,495 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Holbrook Public Works Dept Holbrook · Norfolk County |
11,405 | 2 | 1 | |
|
Aquarion Water Company, Millbury Millbury · Worcester County |
11,368 | 1 | 1 | |
|
Maynard Dpw, Water Division Maynard · Middlesex County |
10,746 | 3 | 0 | |
|
Kenwood Water District Dracut · Middlesex County |
9,620 | 2 | 1 | |
|
Georgetown Water Department Georgetown · Essex County |
8,766 | 2 | 1 | |
|
Lynnfield Center Water District Lynnfield · Essex County |
8,525 | 3 | 3 | |
|
North Chelmsford Water Dist Chelmsford · Middlesex County |
7,660 | 2 | 2 |
About this data
A system is counted once if any of its violations in the past three years involved Lead and Copper Rule (LCR), including monitoring and reporting lapses. Rules violated and status in the table are for the whole system, not Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) alone.
Source: the U.S. EPA's Enforcement and Compliance History Online system (ECHO), which publishes the federal Safe Drinking Water Information System. EPA's terms and values are shown as published. The Massachusetts records are from EPA's data refresh of Oct 7, 2026; EPA refreshes this data quarterly, and states report to EPA with a lag of three to six months, so the newest violations may not appear yet.