Norwood Community Letter 2021

This annual report provides information on the quality of the drinking water that we deliver to you, our residents, and other water users. Norwood obtains its water from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA). Your drinking water comes from the Quabbin and Wachusett reservoirs in central Massachusetts, and Norwood Public Works delivers this water to your home through a network of over 120 miles of locally-owned distribution pipes. The MWRA water supplied to Norwood is some of the highest quality water in the country. Both the MWRA and the Town routinely collect and analyze water samples in accordance with protocols set by MassDEP and the EPA to ensure its continued safety and potability.

MWRA and the Town have invested in our water systems to maintain the high quality of our drinking water. This year, the Town will utilize $629,600 in an interest free loan from the MWRA, plus an additional $4,500,000 appropriation from Town Meeting to replace or clean and line unlined water mains. In the last few years, we have cleaned and lined several thousand feet of water main to eliminate rusty water problems and to improve fire flows. Last year’s project cleaned and cement-lined 2,209 feet of 6-inch water main, 5,499 feet of 8-inch water main, 2,258 feet of 14-inch water main and installed 1,143 feet of new 8-inch water main and 436 feet of new 12-inch water main. This work was performed on the following: Washington Street (Hill Street to Everett Street), Bird Road, Hill Street (Washington Street to Roosevelt Avenue), Lane Drive, Bruce Road, Valley Road, and Stratford Road. This project will continue in the spring of 2022 with the cleaning and lining of an additional 6,600 feet of water mains on: Irving Street, Forrest Avenue, Ellis Avenue, David Terrace, Codman Road, Margaret Street, and Madelyn Road.

The most frequently asked question that we receive is about the potential presence of lead in tap water. The water we supply to your home does not contain any lead; however, lead can enter the water through home piping. Norwood samples 15 homes each year for lead and copper. In 2021, the 90th percentile for lead was 15 ppb, which does not exceed the Action Level of 15 ppb, and the 90th percentile for copper was 124 ppb, below the Action Level of 1300 ppb. Over the last several years, the Public Works Department has located and replaced over 120 lead service lines that connect homes to water mains in the street.

For more information about the potential presence of lead at the tap and steps that may be taken to reduce exposure, contact the Norwood Board of Health. In addition, the Board of Health conducts a voluntary lead testing program using a state-certified laboratory to analyze tap water samples collected by the consumer (there is a $25 fee). Please contact Director of Public Health Stacey Lane in the Health Dept. at 781-762-1240 x174 for more information.

Norwood also collects water samples to test for total coliform bacteria throughout the distribution system. MassDEP and EPA require that no more than 5% of samples each month test positive for total coliform. In September 2021, coliforms were identified in six of our samples, which required that we perform a Level 1 Assessment. A Level 1 Assessment is a study of the water system to identify potential problems and to determine why coliform bacteria were found in the water system. Coliforms are bacteria that are naturally present in the environment, and are used as an indicator that other, potentially harmful, waterborne pathogens may be present, or that a potential pathway exists through which contamination may enter the drinking water distribution system. We completed the assessment and determined that the root cause of the problem was low chlorine levels in the water. We drained and cleaned the Bellevue Avenue water tanks and tested the water to ensure disinfectant levels met drinking water standards.

For information on public meetings, please call the Public Works Department at 781-762-1413 or go to our website at: www.norwoodma.gov/departments/public_works/index.php . If you have any questions regarding lead service line removal, or other water quality questions, please contact Mark P. Ryan, at 781-762-1413. We hope that you find this report to be informative.

Tony Mazzucco                                                                    Mark P. Ryan
General Manager                                                                 Director of Public Works and Town Engineer