Frequently Asked Questions
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1. |
Where does our
water come from? |
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2. |
What is groundwater?
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3. |
A brown stain
has developed on the inside of my dishwasher, as well as on my china.
Why? |
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4. |
My water is discolored.
Why? |
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5. |
How is our water
treated? |
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6. |
Why do we have
water restrictions? |
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7. |
How is the Town
planning for the future? |
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8. |
I have a leak
on my service line. Will the Town fix it? |
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9. |
What is the hardness
of the water? |
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1. |
Where does our water come from? |
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The Town's water supply is groundwater.
We have six (6) active wells in use. The wells are primarily located
in the northwest quadrant of Town. |
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2. |
What is groundwater? |
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Groundwater comes from rain and snow that
soaks into the ground, passing between particles of soil, sand, gravel
or rock until it reaches a depth where the ground is filled, or saturated,
with water. The area that is filled with water is called the saturated
zone and the top of this zone is called the water table. The water
table may be very near the ground surface or it may be hundreds of
feet deep. Groundwater is stored in the ground in materials like gravel
or sand. You can think of the earth as a big sponge holding lots of
water. An area that holds a lot of water, which can be pumped up with
a well, is called an aquifer. |
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3. |
A brown stain has developed on the
inside of my dishwasher, as well as on my china. Why? |
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Iron and manganese are very common minerals found in New England
ground water. While posing no health threat, they can be an aesthetic
problem, such as causing stains on your dishwasher. The Town adds
polyphosphates to its water to sequester manganese. The chemical
bond that is formed between the two is broken quickly by high temperature.
The higher the temperature, the more likely that iron and manganese
will precipitate out and deposit on the surface of dishwashers or
china. To avoid this problem, don't use "hot air dry cycle"
and use lower temperature water. You may also find that "Tang"
or "Glisten" will remove existing stains.
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4. |
My water is discolored. Why? |
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There are many possible answers to this
question, depending on the coloration: The water looks milky. This
is probably caused by air and will dissipate with time. The water
is brown or orange. This is probably iron related. You may need to
drain your hot water heater or replace old iron pipes. Or, your pipes
may need to be flushed. Also, this may be due to a single event, such
as a main break or hydrant usage in your neighborhood. There are black
specs in the water. This is probably manganese; the line may need
flushing. The water is yellow. This problem requires investigation
because the causes could be varied. |
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5. |
How is our water treated? |
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The Town has one water treatment plants
where water from all of its regularly pumped wells is treated. Chlorine
is added for disinfection; fluoride is added for preventing tooth
decay, treated air stripping for VOC removal and liquid linear phosphate
for manganese sequestering is added. |
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6. |
Why do we have water restrictions? |
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Our system currently has the capacity to
pump about seven million gallons of water per day. Since the average
daily use is about 4 million, the Town has more than adequate supply
for most of the year. However, during the summer, demand may meet
or exceed the system's capacity, which then must be replenished by
rainfall events to maintain well levels. Also, water is stored in
large storage tanks throughout the towns which must be kept as full
as possible for health and safety (fire fighting) reasons. Excessive
outdoor use during these times can impact the ability to provide these
safeguards. Under our present State Water Withdrawal Permit, our daily
average usage must be lowered to stay in compliance. |
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7. |
How is the Town planning for the future? |
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The Town is working on acquiring on a new
water source on the former SAC property off of Lake Street. We are
also working on plans for constructing a new booster station on Oak
St. and major water main work on the Boston Turnpike. |
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8. |
I have a leak on my service line. Will
the Town fix it? |
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The Town is only responsible for repairs
and replacements of water mains in the street, the connection from
the main to the shutoff valve at the property line, and meters and
remote reading devices. The customer is responsible for the service
line from the property line to the home or business, all plumbing
on private property, the meter pit if your meter is located outside
in the ground, and repairs to frozen meters where adequate protection
was not supplied. |
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9. |
What is the hardness of the water? |
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The hardness of the water is measured in
parts per million of calcium carbonate. This level equates to around
5-6 grains and medium hardness. |
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