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Town of Lexington
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS - WATER & SEWER
Public Water Supply
# 3155000
This Drinking Water Report is intended to provide information to Lexington residents about their water supply. Our Town works in partnership with the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) to deliver quality drinking water to each customer for consumption, fire protection and other uses. Helping residents learn more about water quality and the effort that goes into maintaining the water system is part of this partnership. By providing this information, we also hope to encourage conservation and protection of this precious resource.
Our water comes from the Quabbin and Wachusett Reservoirs in Central Massachusetts, and is transported in tunnels and pipes to four metered locations that supply the Town. There are 158 miles of water distribution pipes in Lexington that, on average, deliver approximately 5 million gallons per day (MGD) to our customers. Demand for water fluctuates seasonally, with higher volumes of water being used during the summer months. Lexington also has an irrigation meter policy where a second meter can be installed for lawn watering or other types of irrigation uses. Lexington water system serves a population of 32,271 residents with 13,054 residential service connections and 333 commercial and industrial services.
The most frequently asked question that we receive about water quality concerns the presence of lead in tap water. The answer is simple: the water we supply to your home does not contain lead. If any lead is present at the tap, it has been picked up through contact with brass fixtures (which contain lead in the alloy) or with lead elsewhere on the premises, such as lead solder used in plumbing work. Lead services (the pipe connection running from the house foundation to the water main in the street) if present, may also be a factor. However, lead has not been used for water services or household pipes since before World War II. Although the majority of the homes dating from this earlier era either never used lead or have since had their water services replaced, there may still be a small number of lead services in place. Also, note that lead can still be found in many new brass fixtures.
Lexington has an on-going “lead service replacement program” that was established when the Town had more than one home test above the Lead Action Level. Lexington has successfully passed the last 15 lead sampling collections, with the October 2021 90th percentile lead result of 2.70 ppb, compared to the Action Level of 15 ppb and a 90th percentile copper level of 112 compared to the Action Level of 1300 ppb. Lexington is preparing for the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions mandated by Department of Environmental Protection MassDEP to develop and submit a lead service line inventory to MassDEP by October 16, 2024. To find out if you might have a lead service line, and learn how it can be replaced, please contact the Water/Sewer Department at the number listed below.
The Lexington water distribution system has a primary and a secondary full time licensed operator, and both are grade D3 operators as required by MassDEP.
I would also like to mention that the surcharging of the Town’s Sewer System during rainstorms is caused, in part, by illegal connections to the Town of Lexington sanitary sewer lines. By illegal connections I refer to sump pumps that are tied to the sanitary sewer line directly with piping, or indirectly with hoses into slop sinks, floor drains, roof gutters, or from leaders tied into the sanitary sewer. Eight sump pumps can theoretically put as much water into the system while they are working as 200 homes discharging wastewater. This is a process we call I&I, or Inflow and Infiltration, where clear groundwater enters the sanitary system through leaks, cracked pipes, or sump pumps. We all need to work together to eliminate these connections and if you are not sure please give us a call and we will inspect your system and let you know if the setup is correct at no cost to you. Let’s do all we can to reduce I&I in the Lexington sanitary system and we will all benefit in the long run.
If you have any questions, please contact the Water and Sewer Division or the Health Department. Thank you.
To find out about any public meeting information please go to our website, www.lexingtonma.gov/calendar-by-event-type/16
David Pavlik
Water Sewer Supt. 201 Bedford Street
Lexington, MA 02420
Tel: 781.274.8300 x1
Fax: 781.274.8385
dpavlik@lexingtonma.gov
Joanne Belanger, RN
Health Director
1625 Massachusetts Ave
Lexington, MA 02420
Tel: 781-698-4533
jbelanger@lexingtonma.gov
Updated June 14, 2022