Massachusetts water features, including lakes, ponds, rivers, streams and wetlands. From USGS hydrography. For full metadata and links to download free data please visit https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massgis-data-massdep-hydrography-125000.

March 2025

The U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (UMass Amherst), in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), began a series of studies in 2019 to develop a web-based statewide hydraulic modeling tool to provide preliminary culvert designs to support stream crossing replacement projects in Massachusetts. This Web Map Service (WMS) has been developed to query data from the hydraulic models at select stream crossing locations using the StreamStats web application for Massachusetts. The WMS contains stream crossing point locations with hydrology and hydraulic data tables and associated watershed polygons. These stream crossing locations were derived from the North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative data center (NAACC Data Center). Preliminary culvert designs for three-sided box, conspan arch, and a pipe culvert have been modeled using the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s Hydrologic Engineering Center’s River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) software with cross-sectional and channel geometry data derived from high-resolution light detection and ranging (lidar) Digital Elevation Models (DEM). The WMS layer provides the ability to generate reports in the StreamStats web application for Massachusetts at the stream crossing locations for site _location information, preliminary culvert designs, flood flows, bankfull channel geometry, aquatic habitat and stream connectivity restoration potential, basin characteristics, and other select information.

March 2025

Terms of UseData Limitations and DisclaimerThe user’s use of and/or reliance on the information contained in the Document 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.This is an ongoing data development project. Attempts have been made to contact all PWS systems, but not all have responded with information on their service area. MassDEP will continue to collect and verify this information. Some PWS service areas included in this datalayer have not been verified by the PWS or the municipality involved, but since many of those areas are based on information published online by the municipality, the PWS, or in a publicly available report, they are included in the estimated PWS service area datalayer.Please note: 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. 2025. Community and Non-Transient Non-Community Public Water System Service Area (PubV2025_3).IMPORTANT NOTICE: This MassDEP Estimated Water Service datalayer may not be complete, may contain errors, omissions, and other inaccuracies and the data are subject to change. This version is published through MassGIS. We want to learn about the data uses. If you use this dataset, please notify staff in the Water Utility Resilience Program (WURP@mass.gov).This GIS datalayer represents approximate service areas for 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 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.Layers and Tables:The MassDEP Estimated Public Water System Service Area data comprises two polygon feature classes and a supporting table. Some data fields are populated from the MassDEP Drinking Water Program’s Water Quality Testing System (WQTS) and Annual Statistical Reports (ASR).The Community Water Service Areas feature class (PWS_WATER_SERVICE_AREA_COMM_POLY) includes polygon features that represent the approximate service areas for PWS classified as Community systems.The NTNC Water Service Areas feature class (PWS_WATER_SERVICE_AREA_NTNC_POLY) includes polygon features that represent the approximate service areas for PWS classified as Non-Transient Non-Community systems.The Unlocated Sites List table (PWS_WATER_SERVICE_AREA_USL) contains a list of known, unmapped active Community and NTNC PWS services areas at the time of publication.ProductionData UniversePublic 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). 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. 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 estimates based on the general location of the source wells or the general estimated location of the service area - these do not represent the actual service area.Service areas were mapped initially from 2017 to 2022 and reflect varying years for which service is implemented for that service area boundary. WURP maintains the dataset quarterly with annual data updates; however, the dataset may not include all current active PWSs. A list of unmapped PWS systems is included in the USL table PWS_WATER_SERVICE_AREA_USL available for download with the dataset. 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.PWSs that do not have corresponding sources, may be part of consecutive systems, may have been incorporated into another PWSs, 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 SourcesSeveral 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 ProcessSmall-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 area. In 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.Sources of information for estimated drinking water service areasThe following information was used to develop estimated drinking water service areas:EOEEA Water Assets Project (2005) water lines (these were buffered to create service areas)Horsely Witten Report 2008Municipal Master Plans, Open Space Plans, Facilities Plans, Water Supply System Webpages, reports and online interactive mapsGIS data received from PWSDetailed infrastructure mapping completed through the MassDEP WURP Critical Infrastructure InitiativeIn 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:The Winter population served submitted by the PWS in the ASR submittalThe number of services from WQTS as a percent of developed parcelsTaken directly from a Master Plan, Water Department Website, Open Space Plan, etc. found onlineCalculated using information from the town on the population servedMassDEP staff estimateHorsely Witten Report 2008Calculation based on Water System Areas Mapped through MassDEP WURP Critical Infrastructure Initiative, 2017-2022Information found in publicly available PWS planning documents submitted to MassDEP or as part of infrastructure planningMaintenanceThe

The USGS compiles online access to water-resources data collected at approximately 1.5 million sites in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

The Public Water Supply (PWS) datalayer contains the locations of public community surface and groundwater supply sources and public non-community supply sources as defined in 310 CMR 22.00. The public water supply systems represented in this datalayer are based primarily on information in the DEPs Water Quality Testing System (WQTS) database. The WQTS database is the Department?s central database for tracking water supply data. The PWS datalayer also contains the locations of proposed wells that have a defined DEP approved wellhead protection area (Zone IIs). Proposed sources are not currently tracked in WQTS. In ArcSDE the layer is named PWSDEP_PT. As stated in 310 CMR 22.02, a Public Water System means a system for the provision to the public of piped water for human consumption if such system has at least 15 service connections or regularly serves an average of at least 25 individuals daily at least 60 days of the year. Such term includes (1) any collection, treatment, storage and distribution facilities under control of the operator of such a system and used primarily in connection with such system, and (2) any collection or pretreatment storage facilities not under such control which are used primarily in connection with such system. A public water system is either a community or a non-community water system. (a) Community water system means a public water system which serves at least 15 service connections used by year-round residents or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. (b) Non-community water system means a public water system that is not a community water system. 1. Non-transient non-community water system (NTNC) means a public water systems that is not a community water system and that regularly serves at least 25 of the same persons or more approximately four or more days per week, more that six months or 180 days per year, such as a workplace providing water to it?s employees. 2. Transient non-community water system (TNC) means a public water system that is not a community water system or a non-transient non-community water system but is a public water system which serves water to 25 different persons at least 60 days of the year. Some examples of these types of systems are: restaurants, motels, camp grounds, parks, golf courses, ski areas and community centers.

This layer is sourced from gisprpxy.itd.state.ma.us.

The 27 major drainage basins of Massachusetts as defined by the USGS Water Resources Division and the MA Water Resources Commission.Please see https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massgis-data-major-drainage-basins for more details.Map service also available.

The 2016 Massachusetts Small MS4 General Permit requires that Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s) be mapped. With MS4s interconnected across properties, maps are developed by different organizations which makes it difficult to determine where stormwater runoff is collecting and how stormwater infrastructure is managed. Through interviews and geospatial data analysis, we developed recommendations for facilitating the collaboration and integration of geospatial data between Central Massachusetts Regional Stormwater Coalition communities and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has the statutory mandate to collect hydrographic data in support of nautical chart compilation for safe navigation and to provide background data for engineers, scientific, and other commercial and industrial activities. Hydrographic survey data primarily consist of water depths, but may also include features (e.g. rocks, wrecks), navigation aids, shoreline identification, and bottom type information. NOAA is responsible for archiving and distributing the source data as described in this metadata record.

The data in this tile service is a raster (100-meter resolution) that uses average transmissivity from SURFGEO24K_T_AY, topographic relief, and groundwater recharge to calculate the water table ratio. Positive values indicate that the region has a topography-controlled water table, and negative numbers indicate a recharge-controlled water table. For further methods see Gleeson et al. (2011).The Hydrogeologic Atlas of Massachusetts provides data on the hydraulic properties of the statewide surficial aquifers. The datasets were developed using surficial geology, bedrock altitude, a statewide groundwater flow model, and a compilation of hydraulic property data from U.S. Geological Survey groundwater reports, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Zone II reports, and other Massachusetts-specific journal articles (a total of 23 sources).One of the goals of this project was to understand current and projected future groundwater flooding risks across the state. To understand groundwater flooding risks, we developed a statewide three-dimensional groundwater flow model to simulate the water table elevation. The Hydrogeologic Atlas of Massachusetts compiles new datasets developed as input into the groundwater model, groundwater model simulation results, and other statewide map products created through this project. For further information regarding the methods of this study see Corkran et al. (2024), a report submitted to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.Suggested Citation:Corkran, D., Kirshen, A., Moran, B.J., Blin, N., King, R., Bresee, M., & Boutt, D. (2024). Massachusetts State-wide Groundwater Model and Flooding Risk Assessment 1.0. Report funded by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and published on the ResilientMass website.See full metadata and map service.

The U.S. Geological Survey has conducted geologic mapping to characterize the sea floor offshore of Massachusetts. The mapping was carried out using a Simrad Subsea EM 1000 Multibeam Echo Sounder on the Frederick G. Creed on four cruises conducted between 1994 and 1998. The mapping was conducted in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and with support from the Canadian Hydrographic Service and the University of New Brunswick. The long-term goal of this mapping effort is to produce high-resolution geologic maps and a Geographic Information System (GIS) project that presents images and grids of bathymetry, shaded relief bathymetry, and backscatter intensity data from these surveys that will serve the needs of research, management and the public.

This map includes shoreline change data for the state of Massachusetts hosted by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management.The active data layer in this map is Massachusetts Shoreline Change Transect (1970-2014) with short-term shoreline change rates. To view long-term rates, open map in Map Viewer to turn on layer.The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management launched the Shoreline Change Project in 1989 to identify erosion-prone areas of the coast. The shoreline position and change rate are used to inform management decisions regarding the erosion of coastal resources. In 2001, a shoreline from 1994 was added to calculate both long- and short-term shoreline change rates along ocean-facing sections of the Massachusetts coast. In 2013, two oceanfront shorelines for Massachusetts were added using 2008-9 color aerial orthoimagery and 2007 topographic lidar datasets obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Ocean Service, Coastal Services Center. In 2018 two new mean high water (MHW) shorelines for Massachusetts were extracted from lidar collected between 2010 and 2014 (described below). 2018 addition shoreline 1The North Shore and South Coast uses 2010 lidar data collected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Technical Center of Expertise. The South Shore and Outer Cape uses 2011 lidar data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Geospatial Program Office. Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard uses 2012 lidar data collected by the USACE (post Sandy)from a 2012 USACE Post Sandy Topographic lidar survey. 2018 addition shoreline 2The North Shore, Boston, South Shore, Cape Cod Bay, Outer Cape, South Cape, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and the South Coast (around Buzzards Bay to the Rhode Island Border) is from 2013-14 lidar data collected by the (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program. This 2018 update of the rate of shoreline change in Massachusetts includes two types of rates. Some of the rates include a proxy-datum bias correction, this is indicated in the filename with “PDB”. The rates that do not account for this correction have “NB” in their file names. The proxy-datum bias is applied because in some areas a proxy shoreline (like a High Water Line shoreline) has a bias when compared to a datum shoreline (like a Mean High Water shoreline). In areas where it exists, this bias should be accounted for when calculating rates using a mix of proxy and datum shorelines. This issue is explained further in Ruggiero and List (2009) and in the process steps of the metadata associated with the rates. This release includes both long-term (~150 years) and short term (~30 years) rates. Files associated with the long-term rates have “LT” in their names, files associated with short-term rates have “ST” in their names.

These Surface Water Supply Protection Areas delineate those areas included in 310 CMR 22.00, the Massachusetts Drinking Water Regulations, as Surface Water Supply Protection Zones:

• ZONEA: represents a) the land area between the surface water source and the upper boundary of the bank; b) the land area within a 400 foot lateral distance from the upper boundary of the bank of a Class A surface water source, as defined in 314 CMR 4.05(3)(a); and c) the land area within a 200 foot lateral distance from the upper boundary of the bank of a tributary or associated surface water body.

• ZONEB: represents the land area within one-half mile of the upper boundary of the bank of a Class A surface water source, as defined in 314 CMR 4.05(3)(a), or edge of watershed, whichever is less. Zone B always includes the land area within a 400 ft lateral distance from the upper boundary of the bank of a Class A surface water source.

• ZONEC: represents the land area not designated as Zone A or B within the watershed of a Class A surface water source, as defined in 314 CMR 4.05(3)(a). More details...Map service also available.

Delimitation of surface water bodies

Estimating groundwater recharge rates is vitally important to understanding and managing groundwater. Numerous studies have used collated recharge datasets to understand and project regional or global-scale recharge rates. However, a key challenge stems from the inherent variability in recharge estimation methods utilised across these collations. Recharge estimation methods each carry distinct assumptions, address different recharge components, and operate over varied temporal scales. To address these challenges, this study uses a comprehensive dataset of over 200,000 groundwater chloride measurements to estimate groundwater recharge rates using the chloride mass balance (CMB) method throughout Australia. Recharge rates were produced stochastically using the groundwater chloride dataset and supplemented by gridded chloride deposition, runoff, and precipitation datasets within a Python framework. After QA/QC and data filtering, the resulting recharge rates and 17 spatial datasets are integrated into a random forest regression algorithm, generating a high-resolution (0.05°) model of recharge rates across Australia. This study presents a robust and automated approach to estimate recharge using the CMB method, offering a unified model based on a single estimation method. The resulting datasets, the Python script for recharge rate calculation, and the spatial recharge models collectively provide valuable insights for water resources management across the vast and dry Australian continent and similar approaches can be applied globally. If you use the datasets, gridded map output files, or Python scripts, we would appreciate it if you could cite the associated publication in Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. Details of the journal article will be made available upon final publication. For any further information, please do not hesitate to contact Stephen Lee on stephen.lee@cdu.edu.au.

The WMS (Web Map Service) service called Surface Water Masses (Polygons) PHC 2015-2021 allows the visualisation and consultation of Surface Water Masses with polygon representation, the result of the integration of the information provided by 25 of the 25 Hydrographic Demarcations, in response to Article 13 of the Water Framework Directive. Includes the 7 Demarcations of the Canary Islands. It corresponds to the second cycle Hydrological Plans that were officially approved in January 2016 and incorporates the successive modifications and additions that have undergone until November 2019. Includes data for each mass: code, name, category, naturalness, type, Hydrographic Demarcation, area (measured in Lambert Acimutal Equivalent Area projection). The URL of the WMS Service Masses of Surface Water (Polygons) PHC PHC 2015-2021 is: https://wms.mapama.gob.es/sig/Agua/PHC/MasasAguaSupP2021/wms.aspx The reference systems offered by this service are: — For geographical coordinates: CRS: 84, EPSG: 4230 (ED50), EPSG:4326 (WGS 84), EPSG:4258 (ETRS 89). — For U.T.M coordinates: EPSG:32628 (WGS 84/UTM zone 28N), EPSG:32629 (WGS 84/UTM zone 29N), EPSG:32630 (WGS 84/UTM zone 30N), EPSG:32631 (WGS 84/UTM zone 31N), EPSG:25828 (ETRS 89/UTM zone 28N), EPSG:25829 (ETRS 89/UTM zone 29N), EPSG:25830 (ETRS 89/UTM zone 30N), EPSG:25831 (ETRS 89/UTM zone 31N), EPSG:23028 (ED50/UTM zone 28N), EPSG:23029 (ED50/UTM zone 29N), EPSG:23030 (ED50/UTM zone 30N), EPSG:23031 (ED50/UTM zone 31N).

The data in this feature service uses the same polygons as the MassGIS USGS 1:24,000 Surficial Geology data layer and includes minimum, maximum, and average hydraulic conductivity in feet per day for each surficial unit. Hydraulic conductivity values were extracted from U.S. Geological Survey groundwater reports, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Zone II reports, and other Massachusetts-specific journal articles (a total of 165 aquifer tests or aggregates of aquifer tests depending on the available data in each report).The Hydrogeologic Atlas of Massachusetts provides data on the hydraulic properties of the statewide surficial aquifers. The datasets were developed using surficial geology, bedrock altitude, a statewide groundwater flow model, and a compilation of hydraulic property data from U.S. Geological Survey groundwater reports, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Zone II reports, and other Massachusetts-specific journal articles (a total of 23 sources).\One of the goals of this project was to understand current and projected future groundwater flooding risks across the state. To understand groundwater flooding risks, we developed a statewide three-dimensional groundwater flow model to simulate the water table elevation. The Hydrogeologic Atlas of Massachusetts compiles new datasets developed as input into the groundwater model, groundwater model simulation results, and other statewide map products created through this project. For further information regarding the methods of this study see Corkran et al. (2024), a report submitted to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.Suggested Citation:Corkran, D., Kirshen, A., Moran, B.J., Blin, N., King, R., Bresee, M., & Boutt, D. (2024). Massachusetts State-wide Groundwater Model and Flooding Risk Assessment 1.0. Report funded by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and published on the ResilientMass website.See full metadata and the map service.

This record is maintained in the National Geologic Map Database (NGMDB). The NGMDB is a Congressionally mandated national archive of geoscience maps, reports, and stratigraphic information, developed according to standards defined by the cooperators, i.e., the USGS and the Association of American State Geologists (AASG). Included in this system is a comprehensive set of publication citations, stratigraphic nomenclature, downloadable content, unpublished source information, and guidance on standards development. The NGMDB contains information on more than 90,000 maps and related geoscience reports published from the early 1800s to the present day, by more than 630 agencies, universities, associations, and private companies. For more information, please see http://ngmdb.usgs.gov/.

These GIS point show Chapter 91 (The Massachusetts Public Waterfront Act) non-water dependent sites along the coast of Massachusetts. All sites have some form of public access. Data were collected from Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Waterways Program (http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/resources/waterway.htm). In addition to the physical location, all sites also have hyperlinks to photos and Ch. 91 licenses, as well as a list of amenities. Through Chapter 91, the Commonwealth seeks to preserve and protect the rights of the public, and to guarantee that private uses of tidelands and waterways serve a proper public purpose. Examples the Chapter 91 licensing process include: strolling rights in intertidal areas, pedestrian and waterfront walkways, dinghy docks, public boat landings, public restrooms, public meeting rooms, transient dockage, public water transportation facilities and services, creation of parkland, boat ramps, piers and floats for public recreational boarding facilities, fishing piers, public sailing programs, interpretive display, and interior facilities of public accommodation in private buildings, such as restaurants, museums and retail stores.