Pawtucket
Pawtucket, RI water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
pawtucket water supply board veolia-na
surface water (rivers/reservoirs) · local government · PWSID RI1592021
Below EPA's 15 ppb lead action level at last testing.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) · 2026 Q1
Pawtucket is a small but growing city and the 4th-largest in Rhode Island, home to roughly 71,591 residents. Pawtucket's drinking water comes largely from the same regional sources that serve Rhode Island: Scituate Reservoir and groundwater.
As elsewhere in Rhode Island, the central challenge is aging infrastructure. A compact, reservoir-fed system with infrastructure-age as the leading concern.
Rhode Island reuses an estimated 3% of its treated wastewater and maintains minimal reuse programs; Pawtucket tracks moderate to severe drought conditions on the U.S. Drought Monitor scale.
Explore the Rhode Island profile for statewide context, or dig into the water issues shaping Pawtucket below.
Providence County water quality
Source: EPA SDWIS · 2026 Q1
At a glance
- Population ~71,591 (4th-largest in Rhode Island)
- Primary sources: Scituate Reservoir and groundwater
- Drought: moderate to severe conditions
- State reuse rate: ~3% of wastewater
Statewide drought history
% of Rhode Island in severe+ drought (Severe (D2) now).
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor
Common questions
Is tap water safe in Pawtucket?
Pawtucket's largest water system, PAWTUCKET WATER SUPPLY BOARD VEOLIA-NA, serves about 98,130 people. EPA records show 0 health-based violation(s) since 2016 and a most-recent 90th-percentile lead level of 1.3 ppb (EPA action level is 15 ppb). Always check your own provider's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Where does Pawtucket get its water?
PAWTUCKET WATER SUPPLY BOARD VEOLIA-NA draws primarily from surface water (rivers/reservoirs), part of Rhode Island's supply from Scituate Reservoir, groundwater.