Winchester Community Letter 2021

Dear Customer,
The 2021 Drinking Water Report to Consumers provides information on the quality of drinking water supplied by the Winchester Water Department (WWD) in partnership with the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. We are happy to be working with MWRA in this joint communication on the quality of drinking water arriving at your home. This annual report provides detailed information on the Winchester and MWRA’s source water reservoirs and the quality of water determined through federal and state testing guidelines.

Water for Winchester comes from the MWRA and town-owned reservoirs located in the Middlesex Fells Reservation off of South Border Road. In 2021 Winchester used 53% of its total water use through two MWRA connections. The remaining 47% of water use is supplied through the Winchester Water Treatment Plant, located at the South Reservoir. The South Reservoir is protected through sanitary surveys, water quality testing, reservoir patrolling and watershed management. The MassDEP conducted a source water assessment survey in 2003 to assess the susceptibility of the town’s water supply. The full report is available online at www.mass.gov/dep/water/drinking/swapover. htm. The Winchester water system is made up of three pressure distribution networks; the Westside High System, the Eastside High System and the Middle Low System. The Westside High System receives water from the MWRA on a daily basis. This system serves streets located west of Cambridge Street. The Eastside High System receives its water from the Winchester Water Treatment Plant from October to April and receives MWRA water from May to September. The Eastside High System serves the area east of Washington Street, east of Main Street to Symmes Corner and the streets east of Grove Street. The Middle Low System receives its water from the Winchester Water Treatment Plant on a daily basis and serves streets west of Washington Street, west of Main Street and west of Grove Street. Winchester maintains 112 miles of water mains, approximately 900 fire hydrants and two storage tanks. Winchester has an active cross connection control program to alleviate the water system from any contamination.

The Town of Winchester, through the efforts of the Board of Selectmen and Town Meeting Members, has taken an aggressive approach in ensuring our drinking water meets the highest standards. The following are some system improvements over the last few years:

1. In 2021, the Winchester Water Department was awarded the Public System Water Award for outstanding performance.
2. After removal of 98 lead necks in 2021 there are only approximately 178 lead necks remaining.
3. Replacement, cleaning & lining of over 23 miles of water mains in the Winchester distribution system;
4. In 2021 the Town took 4 consecutive quarters of PFAS samples. All sample results were “Non Detected” for PFAS. Only trace amounts too low to quantify were found.
5. The Town of Winchester has entered into the Lead Service Replacement Program with the MWRA.

Winchester and the MWRA analyze water samples on a routine basis to ensure compliance with all state and federal regulatory requirements. Listed below are several substances that were tested in Winchester’s sources of drinking water during 2021. The table also shows the results of each contaminant found in the water compared to the highest levels allowed by law (MCL). Not listed are the more than 200 other substances for which we tested that were not detected in our water. The town received a 3-year waiver from lead and copper testing from the DEP due to 3 years of not exceeding 90% action level.

In September and November, 3 coliforms were detected in samples from our distribution system. Total coliforms are bacteria that are naturally present in the environment and are used as indicators for other potentially harmful, waterborne pathogens, which may be present or that a potential pathway exists through which contamination may enter the water distribution system. When this occurs, we are required to conduct assessments to identify any problems that are found. A Level 1 Assessment, a study of the water system to identify potential problems and determine (if possible) why total coliform bacteria have been found in the water system, was carried out. After an inspection and flushing of the water system the problem rectified itself. In November, additional positive coliform samples in the MWRA fed system triggered a Level 2 Assessment. A Level 2 Assessment is a very detailed study of the water system to determine why total coliform bacteria have been found in our water on multiple occasions. At this time the town switched the system to be fed by water from the Water Treatment Plant for the winter months and the problem was remedied. The cause of the issues is believed to be the heavy rain this past summer and resulting low usages in MWRA-fed systems.

If you would like additional information on your drinking water, or about public meetings, call Jim Gibbons at the Winchester Water Department at (781) 721-7100, or you can call MWRA or MassDEP at the numbers in the Report.