Swampscott Community Letter 2022

The Swampscott Department of Public Works is pleased to provide this annual newsletter to keep you informed about your water system. Swampscott purchases all of its water directly from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA). The water is delivered through two MWRA master meters into the town’s distribution system, which delivers water to homes, businesses, schools and other facilities for drinking and other uses.

Swampscott’s distribution system is comprised of approximately 57 miles of water mains ranging from 6 to 16-inches in diameter, with 473 hydrants. There are approximately 1400 gate valves that allow isolated portions of the system to be shut down for repairs and maintenance. Swampscott has continued to make improvements to the water system, including a 2022 town wide leak detection survey. This survey was performed to reduce unaccounted for water by identifying hidden and surfaced leaks. During the survey a total of seven leaks were located, representing an estimated loss of approximately 204,480 gallons per day, or if left unrepaired, 74.6 million gallons per year. The subsequent repairs led to the reduction of purchased water from the MWRA. However, due to the rising cost to supply water, the Town once again had to increase the water rate. Swampscott’s recently established tiered consumption rate, resulted in low end users seeing a 2.4% increase over the past year, while high end users saw a 4.1% increase.

Seventy percent of the pipes in the distribution system are over fifty years old with approximately sixty percent unlined cast iron pipe. Unlined pipe allows tuberculation (rust) to accumulate on the inside surfaces of the pipe. While not a health issue, these tubercles can affect the ability of the pipe to carry flows for firefighting purposes and can affect the appearance of your water, i.e. yellow or red discoloration.

Working with the MWRA, the Town tests nine samples bi-weekly for total coliform bacteria to monitor the distribution system. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires that no more than 5% of the samples in a month may be positive. Swampscott had zero positive results for the entire year, well below the EPA limit.

The Town is also responsible for conducting lead and copper test samples annually. It is important to note that the water supplied by the MWRA does not contain any lead. However, Swampscott remains concerned about lead in tap water, as lead can enter your water from home plumbing, such as lead solder or older brass fixtures. Therefore, we test twenty homes yearly. The 90th percentile level for Swampscott was 6.30 ppb, which is well below the Action Level of 15 ppb. Please see page 5 for more information on lead in tap water. Results for lead and copper are in the table below.

As part of the Town’s continuing effort to upgrade its water distribution system, the 6-inch main on Jesse Street was replaced with a new cement lined 8-inch main. New hydrants and gate valves were also installed resulting in improved water quality and volume. Additionally, the existing 10-inch main on Atlantic Ave (from Shepard Ave to the Marblehead line) and the 10-inch main on Beach Bluff Ave (from Atlantic Ave to Mostyn Street) will be cleaned and lined this fall. This project is funded using MWRA zero interest loans and this is the twentieth year in which the town has taken advantage of the MWRA’s financial assistance.

The Town of Swampscott is committed to providing its residents with the best water possible. As our customers, we hope that you will find this report informative and useful. If you would like to obtain additional information on particular subjects, want to know about town meetings, or have specific questions, please feel free to contact the Department of Public Works, at (781) 596-8860, or e-mail the Director at gcresta@swampscottma.gov. You may also contact the MWRA directly using the phone numbers listed in this report.

Sincerely,

Gino A. Cresta Jr.
Director of Public Works