Environmental hazards, flood and water records in Somerville, MA
Public environmental, infrastructure and surveillance records inside Somerville's municipal boundary, plus the regional air, drinking-water, flood, radon and Superfund context that does not stop at the town line. Each item links to its original record. Nothing here is a risk score.
Explore Somerville on the map ↗ Check a specific address in Somerville See a sample brief
Read the incinerator history before interpreting the pin
The Somerville incinerator is an archived record. Ask about former use and cleanup documentation for the parcel you are considering; do not interpret this pin as evidence of an operating incinerator or present emissions.
SOMERVILLE INCINERATOR · Source status: Historic; not in the current MassDEP combustion layer
Source-backed investigation note · explanation updated September 14, 2026. Record dates remain those of the linked source.
Who to ask in Somerville
Start with Somerville's health department for local environmental questions, the conservation office for wetlands and local flood records, and the building department for parcel-related permits. Find Somerville's official department directory ↗.
For drinking water, confirm the household connection and ask the listed supplier for its latest water-quality report: SOMERVILLE WATER DEPT. (MWRA). See the dated results and boundary limitations below.
Counts are records inside the municipal boundary, not unique facilities and not a ranking. Sources carry different dates (June 2024 for MassDEP waste layers, TRI 2024, OpenStreetMap Sept 2026). Community-mapped items are unverified. No record does not prove absence.
Records inside Somerville
The most consequential categories first. Open a record for its EPA compliance history, reported chemicals, what the record can and cannot tell you, and who to ask next.
Incinerators Agency record
Cleanup sites Agency record
- 120 MIDDLESEX AVENUE
- 15 MCGRATH HIGHWAY
- 170 INNER BELT ROAD
- 23 CUMMINGS STREET
- 299 BROADWAY
- 50 TUFTS ST & PROP ACROSS THE ST
- 50 WEBSTER AVE
- 60 CROSS STREET DEVELOPMENT
+ 38 more on the map.
Transmission lines Archived geometry
- 345 kV transmission line
- 345 kV transmission line
Communications Community mapped
- Communications tower / antenna
- Communications tower / antenna
Mapped cameras Community mapped
- I-93 at Sullivan Square (Exit 28)
- Mapped camera
- Mapped camera
- Mapped camera
- Mapped camera
- Mapped camera
- Mapped camera
- Mapped camera
+ 507 more on the map.
Beyond the town line
Air pollution follows wind and stack height, water comes from wherever the supplier draws it, and a Superfund plume ignores municipal boundaries. These items are searched from the town's center across state lines.
Incinerators within 30 miles
- WHEELABRATOR SAUGUS INC
- WHEELABRATOR NORTH ANDOVER INCORPORATED
- REWORLD HAVERHILL LLC F.K.A. COVANTA HAVERHILL INCORPORATED
- PELHAM TRANSFER & RECYCLING FACILITY
- PET MEMORIAL PARK
- WINDHAM, TOWN OF
- WMI MEDICAL SERVICES
A 30-mile extent is EPA's air-modeling distance for toxic releases, used here as a search limit, not a danger radius.
Superfund sites within 10 miles
Largest reported air releases within 30 miles
- IDEAL TAPE CO
- CALPINE FORE RIVER ENERGY CENTER LLC
- ENTEGRIS INC
- DUNCAN GALVANIZING CORP.
- DAMPNEY CO INC
- BOSTIK MANUFACTURING PLANT
Pounds are facility self-reports, not concentrations in Somerville, and chemicals differ widely in toxicity. How to read TRI and ECHO records ↗
Drinking water, radon, air quality, flood
Community water systems serving Somerville
- SOMERVILLE WATER DEPT. (MWRA) No health-based violations since 2021-01-01
Boundaries are estimates and do not verify a household connection. Sample results are at treatment or entry points, not at a tap. Drinking-water questions to ask ↗ · PFAS explained ↗
Radon, particle pollution, flood
Radon: Middlesex County is EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted indoor radon potential (county average above 4 pCi/L). EPA says the zone map must not be used to decide whether to test; homes in every zone have measured high levels. Testing guidance ↗
Fine particles (PM2.5): nearest regulatory monitor BOSTON KENMORE SQ (Boston, MA, 3.2 mi) measured a 2025 annual mean of 6.3 µg/m³ (incomplete year); the annual standard adopted in 2024 is 9.0 µg/m³ on a three-year design value. A monitor reports its own location, not Somerville.
Flood: FEMA flood zones are point-specific. Use the map to query the National Flood Hazard Layer live at an address. Flood questions to ask ↗
Major roads: 317 mapped motorway, trunk or primary segments cross Somerville. Road proximity is a cue for traffic noise and emissions, not a measurement. More ↗
Documented surveillance technology in Somerville
Agency-level records from the EFF Atlas of Surveillance. These describe documented technology use, not device locations or current operation.
- Somerville Police Department · Gunshot Detection · ShotSpotter
- Somerville Police Department · Automated License Plate Readers · ELSAG
- Somerville Police Department · Third-party Investigative Platforms · SoundThinking
- Somerville Police Department · Body-worn Cameras
Do not use registry information to commit a crime, harass anyone or engage in illegal discrimination. Massachusetts law prohibits these uses. These town totals are not individual background checks or eligibility decisions.
Sex offender registry information in Somerville, Massachusetts
Count not published for Somerville in this source. The selected report supplies totals for ten cities only. This means unknown here, not zero.
For current public records, open the official Massachusetts registry search and select Somerville.
Published municipal totals are not a crime rate or safety rating. The city table does not separate registry classifications and is not equivalent to public online search counts. Read the registry coverage guide.
Table labeled 2024 · source date as printed: August 5, 2024 · Official report, Table 7, page 24.
Questions worth asking before you commit
Compiled from the guides for the record types actually present in or near Somerville.
Environmental regulator
Request the current air permit, recent stack tests and any published dispersion study. (Incinerators & waste-to-energy)
Request the latest site investigation, plume maps, cleanup status and any activity/use limitations. (Cleanup sites & historic contamination)
Review chemical-specific emissions, inspections and the underlying documents for any violation. (Industrial releases & air-program facilities)
Ask whether nearby private wells or indoor air have been sampled and what the results were. (Superfund (National Priorities List) sites)
Facility operator
Which pollutants are monitored, how often, and are results public? (Incinerators & waste-to-energy)
Ask which emissions controls and monitoring apply to the relevant process. (Industrial releases & air-program facilities)
Local health department
Are there monitoring studies or investigated odor/air complaints for this area? (Incinerators & waste-to-energy)
Qualified environmental professional
Determine whether site-specific vapor, soil or well testing is appropriate. (Cleanup sites & historic contamination)
Seller / inspector
Request environmental disclosures and maintenance records for any mitigation system. (Cleanup sites & historic contamination)
Check any tower lease/easement, lighting and generator-noise concerns. (Communications towers & antennas)
Confirm municipal water versus private well and request available water-quality and plumbing records. (Drinking water & groundwater)
For a private well, request PFAS test results or arrange a test with a certified laboratory. (PFAS in drinking water)
Request dated radon test results and any mitigation-system records. (Radon inside the home)
Request flood and water-intrusion history, drainage repairs and elevation documents. (Flood context)
Visit during rush hour and at night; assess window and ventilation conditions. (Major roads & traffic)
Title professional / utility
Confirm the recorded easement, access rights and restrictions on structures or vegetation. (Transmission lines)
Qualified field-measurement professional
If this is a concern, discuss appropriate measurements and their limitations. (Transmission lines)
Planning department / operator
Request the equipment description, siting permit and applicable RF compliance assessment. (Communications towers & antennas)
Agency / device operator
Request the current collection, retention, access and sharing policy. (Cameras, plate readers & privacy)
Agency records office
Ask for the deployment approval, contract, audit policy and oversight reports. (Cameras, plate readers & privacy)
Environmental professional
Look for a published dispersion or exposure assessment before interpreting personal risk. (Industrial releases & air-program facilities)
EPA site manager / community involvement coordinator
Request the current site status, the operable-unit boundaries, plume maps and any five-year review findings. (Superfund (National Priorities List) sites)
Title professional
Check for recorded activity and use limitations or easements tied to the cleanup. (Superfund (National Priorities List) sites)
Water supplier
Confirm service to the address and request the latest Consumer Confidence Report and relevant sampling results. (Drinking water & groundwater)
Ask for the most recent PFAS results, the treatment in place and the compliance schedule if a limit was exceeded. (PFAS in drinking water)
Certified laboratory / local health department
For a private well, discuss a testing panel appropriate to local conditions. (Drinking water & groundwater)
State drinking-water program
Ask whether the system is under a PFAS order and where the public notices are. (PFAS in drinking water)
Qualified radon professional
Arrange appropriate testing and discuss mitigation if results warrant it. (Radon inside the home)
Local floodplain administrator
Confirm the effective map, any map revisions and building-specific requirements. (Flood context)
Insurer
Obtain a property-specific flood insurance quote and coverage explanation. (Flood context)
Transportation department
Request recent traffic counts, truck routes and planned road changes. (Major roads & traffic)
Neighboring towns
Arlington · Boston · Cambridge · Everett · Medford
Sources: MassDEP solid waste (June 2024) and tier-classified sites, EPA TRI 2023–2024, EPA ECHO (retrieved 2026-10-03), EPA NPL, EPA AQS, EPA UCMR 5, EPA SDWIS, MassDEP water service areas, EPA radon zones, HIFLD, OpenStreetMap (ODbL), EFF Atlas of Surveillance (CC BY). Guidance reviewed 2026-09-13. Methodology and limits · Report a problem with a record.