Quincy Community Letter 2022

As the Commissioner of Public Works, it is my pleasure to provide you with this annual letter to keep you informed about our water distribution system.

Our Distribution System

The City of Quincy purchases all its water directly from the MWRA. The water is delivered through five MWRA master meters into the City’s distribution system. The system, which consists of a network of pipes, valves, hydrants and service lines, delivers water to homes, businesses and other facilities for drinking and other uses.

Our system is comprised of approximately 238 miles of water mains ranging from four to twenty-inches in diameter, with 2,549 hydrants. There are thousands of gate valves that allow us to isolate portions of the system for repairs and maintenance.

An estimated twenty-five percent of the pipes in our system are unlined cast iron pipes over 85 years old. In 2022, the city expended $10 million to replace over 6.1 miles of old 6-inch to 20-inch-diameter water mains on 35 roads. Work included the replacement of hydrants and water gate valves.

Lead and Copper Results

One of our Department’s continuing, primary goals is to provide safe, clean water to all residents and businesses. Each year we test for lead in 20 homes that have a known lead or a lead-lined service, and results are shown in the table below. In September 2022, the 90th percentile for lead based on all results for the City was 8.17 ppb (parts per billion), under the lead Action Level (AL) of 15 ppb. Of the 20 homes sampled, none exceeded the lead Action Level. The Department has identified a total of 63 water service connections through historical record that may be a lead or lead-lined service. The City’s Lead Service Replacement plan states that the City will be required to remove the identified remaining service connections over a period that shall not exceed 11 years. This Program protects our children and improves the health of our community. In 2022, the city replaced 17 lead services in conjunction with our ongoing water main replacement activities. Additional information is available at our website:

https://www.quincyma.gov/govt/depts/pwd/sewer_n_water/lead_or_lead_lined_water_service/default.htm.

Total Coliform Tests in Community Pipes

Each month we test 28 locations and submit 112 samples for total coliform bacteria to monitor the distribution system. The EPA requires that no more than 5% of the samples in a month may be positive. During 2022, only 2 of our 1,437 samples tested positive, and all required repeat samples tested negative. No month had over 5% positives.

If you have any questions, or if you need any additional information on public meetings, please visit our website: www.quincyma.gov or call Water/Sewer Operations Manager Neil McCole at (617) 376-1371.