waterbycounty
EPA SDWIS

Essex County Water Quality

Essex County, Massachusetts

Water Grade

A

Water Score

70.4

Violations

7

State Rank

#5

of 14 (1 = best)

EPA SDWIS Compliance

Drinking Water Quality

Water Quality Grade

A

Based on EPA compliance history and violation data

Water Score

70.4/100

Higher = better quality

Health Violations

7

Health-based violations

Violation Rate

0.8%

Systems with violations

Water Advisory: Essex County

Water Verdict

Essex County receives a good water quality assessment with a grade of A and a score of 70.4 out of 100. While the water supply is generally safe, occasional monitoring gaps or minor contaminant detections may occur.

Violation Context

Essex County has recorded 7 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 0.8 violations per 1,000 residents, this rate is relatively low compared to many U.S. counties.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Essex County is generally safe to drink based on available data. Residents should still review their utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report for transparency on detected contaminants. With 7 recorded health violations, staying informed about utility communications and boil-water notices is especially important. For long-term peace of mind, request your utility's latest Consumer Confidence Report and consider independent water testing if you have specific health concerns.

Regional Context

Essex County has water quality close to the average county in Massachusetts. Its water score is within 1.3 points of the state average, meaning its overall water system performance is broadly representative of Massachusetts as a whole.

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

283

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

48K

48,061 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Microbiological
  • Nutrient

Categories measured most frequently

Data from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), aggregating monitoring records from federal, state, and tribal sources. Each measurement represents a single sample analyzed for a specific characteristic (e.g., E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrogen).

Live USGS Streamgage

River & Stream Conditions

Current Discharge

89.9cfs

May 14, 7:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

46%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

IPSWICH RIVER NEAR IPSWICH, MA

USGS site
01102000
Drainage area
125 sq mi
Long-term mean
196 cfs

One representative streamgage (the one with the largest drainage area in the county). Many counties have multiple gauges — this view summarizes the primary one. The long-term mean is the full-record annual average; "% of typical" compares the latest reading against that average.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Essex County, Massachusetts?
Essex County, Massachusetts has a drinking-water quality grade of A with a score of 70.4/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 7 health-based drinking water violations over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and live streamflow are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Essex County?
Essex County has 7 health-based drinking water violations recorded by the EPA over the past 5 years. Health-based violations indicate instances where contaminant levels exceeded EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). Violations may have been resolved — check with your local water utility for current status.
How much water-quality monitoring happens in Essex County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 48,061 measurements from 283 monitoring sites in Essex County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Microbiological, Nutrient. Each measurement is a single sample analyzed for one characteristic (E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, etc.). High monitoring density means more scientific evidence behind any reported signal — it does not by itself indicate water quality.
What's happening with rivers in Essex County right now?
Essex County's primary USGS streamgage on the IPSWICH RIVER is currently reading 89.9 cubic feet per second — 46% of the long-term mean of 195.59 cfs. This is well below typical — often a signal of drought stress on source water. For genuine real-time data, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Essex County water compare to the Massachusetts average?
Essex County's SDWIS water quality score of 70.4/100 is higher than the Massachusetts state average of 69.1. The average water quality grade across Massachusetts is C, based on data from 14 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Essex County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Essex County has a water quality grade of A (70.4/100). This indicates good to excellent water quality with strong SDWIS compliance. The grade speaks to the public water system, not the watershed — for watershed-level concerns, see the Watershed Health zone. For the most up-to-date information, contact your local water utility or review your Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).
Why does Essex County have so many water violations?
Essex County has 7 health-based drinking water violations on record from the EPA SDWIS database. A higher violation count can result from aging infrastructure, underfunded water utilities, agricultural runoff contamination, or industrial pollution. Counties with more water systems may also see more violations simply due to scale. Residents concerned about water quality should consider independent water testing and home filtration systems.
How does Essex County rank for water quality in Massachusetts?
Essex County ranks #5 out of 14 counties in Massachusetts by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 70.4/100, it falls in the top third of counties statewide. The ranking reflects EPA SDWIS compliance only — not watershed impairment, monitoring density, or streamflow, which are tracked separately on this page.

Counties with Similar Water Quality

Barnstable County

Massachusetts

A

71.5

Water score

Middlesex County

Massachusetts

B

68.0

Water score

Hampshire County

Massachusetts

B

67.5

Water score

Data Sources

Drinking-water compliance data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) via the ECHO enforcement database. Scores reflect compliance history and health-based violation counts.

Water-quality monitoring counts from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP) — federated USGS, EPA, and state agency sampling records over a rolling 5-year window.

Live streamflow from the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) — continuous discharge measurements from the largest-drainage gauge in each county, compared against the full-record long-term annual mean.

Disclaimer: This data is informational only. It is not health, legal, or professional advice. For concerns about your specific water supply, contact your local water utility.

By Logan Johnson, Founder & Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Logan Johnson, Founder & Data Editor

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