MassGIS Data: MassDEP Estimated Public Drinking Water System Service Area Boundaries

July 2024

The dataset represents approximate service areas for Community (COM) and Non-Transient Non-Community (NTNC) Public Water Systems (PWS) in Massachusetts.

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Overview

The GIS dataset represents approximate service areas for Community (COM) and Non-Transient Non-Community (NTNC) Public Water Systems (PWS) in Massachusetts. In 2017, as part of its "Enhancing Resilience and Emergency Preparedness of Water Utilities through Improved Mapping” (Critical Infrastructure Mapping Project), the MassDEP Water Utility Resilience Program (WURP) began to uniformly map drinking water service areas throughout Massachusetts using information collected from various sources. Along with confirming existing public water system (PWS) service area information, the MassDEP Water Utility Resilience Program Mapping Project collected and verified estimated service area delineations for PWSs not previously delineated and will continue to update the information contained in the datalayers. As of the date of publication, WURP has delineated Community (COM) and Non-Transient Non-Community (NTNC) service areas. Transient non-community (TNCs) are not part of this mapping project.

The polygon data are stored and distributed as the following feature classes:

  • PWS_WATER_SERVICE_AREA_COMM_POLY (Community)
  • PWS_WATER_SERVICE_AREA_NTNC_POLY (Non-Transient Non-Community)

In addition, there is a table of Unlocated Sites which contains a list of known, unmapped active Community and NTNC services at the time of publication:

  • PWS_WATER_SERVICE_AREA_USL 

Attributes

The polygon attribute table for the COM PWS dataset (PWS_WATER_SERVICE_AREA_COMM_POLY) contains the following fields:

Field NameAliasData TypeDescription
OBJECTID Object ID(ESRI generated)
PWS_NAMEPWS NameTextName of PWS
PWS_IDPWS IDLongDEP public water supplier or system identification number (First 4 digits are DEP Region ID, followed by MassGIS Town ID)
PWS_TOWNTown NameTextMunicipality Name Source: ASR
TOWN_IDTown IDShortMassGIS Town-ID Code (1-351)
REGIONDEP RegionTextMassDEP Region: WERO, CERO, NERO, SERO
REGION_IDDEP Region IDShortMassDEP Region ID
PWS_STATUSPWS StatusText

Water supplier status:

  • A = Active
  • I = Inactive
  • D = Declassified

According to MassDEP Drinking Water Program a Declassified system is no longer considered a PWS by the DEP, but has not gone through the official process of abandoning all sources. Source: ASR

PWS_STATYRReporting YearShortYear volume data collected; Source: ASR 
PWSPOP_WINPopulation WinterLongPWS population served in winter
PWSPOP_SUMPopulation SummerLongPWS population served in summer
PWSPOP_MAXPopulation MaxLongPWS max population served
PWSNUM_SRVService ConnectionsLongNumber of service connections in PWS
PWS_NUMSRCWater SourcesLongNumber of water sources; Source: ASR 
PWS_G_SGround or SurfaceTextwater source (ground, surface, purchased); Source: ASR 
PWS_ANN_DAnnual Demand (MG)DoubleAnnual volume of water (MG); Source: ASR 
PWS_MMDMax Monthly Demand (MG)DoubleMax monthly volume of water (MG); Source: ASR 
PWS_MDDMax Daily Demand (MG)DoubleMaximum daily volume of water (MG); Source: ASR 
PWS_DISMIDistribution MilesDoubleMiles of water main for WMA systems; Source: eDEP
PWS_DISCLDistribution ClassTextDistribution System Size (population-based); Source: ASR  
PWS_DISSYSDistribution SystemShortNumber of distribution systems; Source: ASR 
WURP_MAPYRWURP Mapping YearTextYear mapped by MassDEP WURP 
SERVCECONFService Area ConfirmedTextIndicates whether service area was confirmed by system
SERVCEYEARService Area YearShortYear service area is valid for
Q4_OTHER_PWSQ4 Other PWSTextAreas served same municipality by another PWS
SA_SQ_MILESService Area Square MilesDoubleArea served (square miles)
SA_ACRESService Area AcresDoubleArea served (acres)
PWS_ID_CPWS ID Text FormTextPWS ID in text format
SHAPEShapeGeometry(ESRI generated)
SHAPE.AREAShape areaDouble(ESRI generated)
SHAPE.LENShare lengthDouble(ESRI generated) 

The polygon attribute table for the NTNC PWS dataset (PWS_WATER_SERVICE_AREA_NTNC_POLY) contains the following fields:

Field NameAliasData TypeDescription
OBJECTID  Object ID(ESRI generated)
PWS_NAMEPWS NameTextPWS Name
PWS_IDPWS IDLongDEP public water supplier or system identification number (First 4 digits are DEP Region ID, followed by MassGIS Town ID)
PWS_TOWNTown NameTextMunicipality Source: ASR
TOWN_IDTown IDShortMassGIS Town-ID Code (1-351)
REGIONDEP RegionTextMassDEP Region
REGION_IDDEP Region IDShortMassDEP Region ID
ADDRESSAddressTextPWS Address
PWS_STATUSPWS StatusText

Water supplier status:

  • A = Active
  • I = Inactive
  • D = Declassified

According to MassDEP Drinking Water Program a Declassified system is no longer considered a PWS by the DEP, but has not gone through the official process of abandoning all sources. Source: ASR

PWS_STATYRReporting YearShortYear volume data collected; Source: ASR 
PWSPOP_WINPopulation WinterLongPWS population served in winter; Source: ASR
PWSPOP_SUMPopulation SummerLongPWS population served in summer; Source: ASR
PWSPOP_MAXPopulation MaxLongPWS max population served; Source: ASR
PWSNUM_SRVService ConnectionsLongNumber of service connections; Source: ASR
PWS_NUMSRCWater SourcesLongNumber of water sources; Source: ASR 
PWS_G_SGround or SurfaceTextwater source (ground, surface, purchased); Source: ASR 
PWS_ANN_DAnnual Demand (MG)DoubleAnnual volume of water (MG); Source: ASR 
PWS_MMDMax Monthly Demand (MG)DoubleMax monthly volume of water (MG); Source: ASR 
PWS_MDDMax Daily Demand (MG)DoubleMaximum daily volume of water (MG); Source: ASR 
PWS_DISCLDistribution ClassTextDistribution System Size (population-based); Source: ASR  
PWS_DISSYSDistribution SystemShortNumber of distribution systems; Source: ASR
WURP_MAPYRWURP Mapping YearTextYear mapped by MassDEP WURP 
SERVCECONFService Area ConfirmedTextIndicates whether service area was confirmed by system
SERVCEYEARService Area YearShortYear service area is valid for
SA_SQ_MILESService Area Square MilesDoubleArea served (square miles)
SA_ACRESService Area AcresDoubleArea served (acres)
PWS_ID_CPWS ID Text FormTextPWS ID in text format
SHAPEShapeGeometry(ESRI generated)
SHAPE.AREAShape areaDouble(ESRI generated)
SHAPE.LENShare lengthDouble(ESRI generated) 

Related Table

Unmapped Water Service Areas:  A related table PWS_WATER_SERVICE_AREA_USL contains a list of known, unmapped active Community and NTNC PWS services areas at the time of publication. 

Field NameAliasData TypeDescription
OBJECTID  Object ID(ESRI generated)
PWS_NAMEPWS NameTextPWS Name
PWS_IDPWS IDLongDEP public water supplier or system identification number (First 4 digits are DEP Region ID, followed by MassGIS Town ID)
AddressAddressTextPWS Address
PWS_TOWNTown NameTextMunicipality Source: ASR

PWS_CLASS    

PWS ClassText

Source classification:

  • COM = Community surface and groundwater sources
  • NTNC = Non Transient Non Community
  • NC = Transient Non Community 

Production

Data Universe

Public Water Systems in Massachusetts are permitted and regulated through the MassDEP Drinking Water Program. The WURP has mapped service areas for all active and inactive municipal and non-municipal Community PWSs in MassDEP’s Water Quality Testing Database (WQTS) identified in 2017. Community PWS refers to a public water system that serves at least 15 service connections used by year-round residents or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. 

All active and inactive NTNC PWS were also mapped using information contained in WQTS in 2022. An NTNC or Non-transient Non-community Water System refers to a public water system that is not a community water system and that has at least 15 service connections or regularly serves at least 25 of the same persons or more approximately four or more hours per day, four or more days per week, more than six months or 180 days per year, such as a workplace providing water to its employees.

These data may include declassified PWSs. Staff will work to rectify the status/water services to properties previously served by declassified PWSs and remove or incorporate these service areas as needed.

Maps of service areas for these systems were collected from various online and MassDEP sources to create service areas digitally in GIS. Every PWS is assigned a unique PWSID by MassDEP that incorporates the municipal ID of the municipality it serves (or the largest municipality it serves if it serves multiple municipalities). Some municipalities contain more than one PWS, but each PWS has a unique PWSID. The Estimated PWS Service Area datalayer, therefore, contains polygons with a unique PWSID for each PWS service area.  

A service area for a community PWS may serve all of one municipality (e.g. Watertown Water Department), multiple municipalities (e.g. Abington-Rockland Joint Water Works), all or portions of two or more municipalities (e.g. Provincetown Water Dept which serves all of Provincetown and a portion of Truro), or a portion of a municipality (e.g. Hyannis Water System, which is one of four PWSs in the town of Barnstable).

Some service areas have not been mapped but their general location is represented by a small circle which serves as a placeholder - the location of these circles are estimated based on the general location of the source wells of the system or the general estimated location of the service area - these do not represent the actual service area.

The service areas were mapped from 2017 to 2022 and may not include all current active PWSs. A list of unmapped PWS systems is included is included in the USL table PWS_WATER_SERVICE_AREA_USL in the Related Tables section. Some PWSs that are not mapped may have come online after this iteration of the mapping project; these will be reconciled and mapped during the next phase of the WURP project. PWS IDs that represent regional or joint boards with (e.g. Tri Town Water Board, Randolph/Holbrook Water Board, Upper Cape Regional Water Cooperative) will not be mapped,  because their individual municipal service areas are included in this datalayer. 

Some PWSs that are not mapped may have come online after this iteration of the mapping project; these will be reconciled and mapped during the next phase of the WURP project. Those highlighted (e.g. Tri Town Water Board, Randolph/Holbrook Water Board, Upper Cape Regional Water Cooperative) represent regional or joint boards that will not be mapped, because their individual municipal service areas are included in this datalayer.

PWSs that do not have corresponding sources, may be part of consecutive systems, may have been incorporated into another PWS, reclassified as a different type of PWS, or otherwise taken offline. PWSs that have been incorporated, reclassified, or taken offline will be reconciled during the next data update. 

Methodologies and Data Sources

Several methodologies were used to create service area boundaries using various sources, including data received from the systems in response to requests for information from the MassDEP WURP project, information on file at MassDEP, and service area maps found online at municipal and PWS websites. When provided with water line data rather than generalized areas, 300-foot buffers were created around the water lines to denote service areas and then edited to incorporate generalizations. Some municipalities submitted parcel data or address information to be used in delineating service areas.  

Verification Process

Small-scale PDF file maps with roads and other infrastructure were sent to every PWS for corrections or verifications. For small systems, such as a condominium complex or residential school, the relevant parcels were often used as the basis for the delineated service areaIn towns where 97% or more of their population is served by the PWS and no other service area delineation was available, the town boundary was used as the service area boundary. Some towns responded to the request for information or verification of service areas by stating that the town boundary should be used since all or nearly all of the municipality is served by the PWS.  

The following information was used to develop estimated drinking water service areas:

In the absence of other service area information, for municipalities served by a town-wide water system serving at least 97% of the population, the municipality’s boundary was used. Determinations of which municipalities are 97% or more served by the PWS were made based on the Percent Water Service Map created in 2018 by MassDEP based on various sources of information including but not limited to:

Terms of Use

The user’s use of and/or reliance on the information contained in the Document (e.g. Data) shall be at the user’s own risk and expense. MassDEP disclaims any responsibility for any loss or harm that may result to the user of this data or to any other person due to the user’s use of the Document. 

All PWS service area delineations are estimates for broad planning purposes and should only be used as a guide. The data is not appropriate for site-specific or parcel-specific analysis. Not all properties within a PWS service area are necessarily served by the system, and some properties outside the mapped service areas could be served by the PWS -- please contact the relevant PWS. Not all service areas have been confirmed by the systems.

Please use the following citation to reference these data:

MassDEP, Water Utility Resilience Program. 2024. Community and Non-Transient Non-Community Public Water System Service Area (PubV2024_7).  

Maintenance

This data is maintained by MassDEP WURP. Questions may be directed to WURP at WURP@mass.gov.

Updates to the PWS type (e.g. COM, NTNC) and status (e.g. active, inactive, or declassified) will be made quarterly and, as a result, service areas not classified as COM or NTNC will be removed from the dataset.

Last updated: December 31, 2024

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