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Town of Winchester
Department of Public Works
Public Water Supply
# 3344000
Dear Customer,
The 2022 Drinking Water Report to Consumers is a report on the quality of drinking water supplied by the Winchester Water Department in partnership with the MWRA. We are happy to be working with MWRA in this joint communication on the quality of drinking water arriving at your home. The report provides detailed information on Winchester’s and MWRA’s source water reservoirs, and the quality of water determined through federal and state testing guidelines.
Water for Winchester comes from both the MWRA Water System and town-owned reservoirs located in the Middlesex Fells Reservation off of South Border Road. A filtration plant located at the South Reservoir treats the Winchester water. The South Reservoir is protected through sanitary surveys, water quality testing, reservoir patrolling and Watershed Management. 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. It 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. It 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.
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:
- In 2021 The Winchester Water Department was awarded the Public System Water Award for outstanding performance;
- After continued lead neck removal in 2022 there are only approximately 150 lead necks remaining in town;
- Replacement, cleaning & lining of over 23 miles of water mains in the Winchester distribution system;
- In 2022 the Town took 4 consecutive quarters of PFAS samples. All sample results were “Non Detect” for PFAS. Only trace amounts too low to quantify were detected;
- The Town of Winchester has entered into the Lead Service Replacement Program with the MWRA; and,
- Annual systems-wide flushing was also performed.
The DEP 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.
Winchester and the MWRA analyze water samples on a routine basis to ensure compliance with all state and federal regulatory requirements. Listed below are the substances that were detected in Winchester’s sources of drinking water compared to the highest levels allowed by law (MCL). Not listed are the more than 120 other substances for which we tested that were not detected in our water. The town received a monitoring waiver from lead and copper testing from the DEP due to 3 years of not exceeding 90% action level. The table below shows results from 2021 testing. We will be carrying out testing again in 2023.
| Range | 90th Percentile Value | Action Level | MCLG | Samples Over Action Level | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | ND–20.3 ppb | 5.9 ppb | 15 ppb | 0 ppb | 1 |
| Copper | 1.7–326.8 ppb | 95.8 ppb | 1300 ppb | 1300 ppb | 0 |
| Units | MCL | MCLG | Range | Detected Level | Violations | How It Gets In The Water | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbidity | NTU | 0.3 | 5 | 0.03–0.09 | 0.061 | NO | Soil runoff |
| Fluoride | ppm | 4 | 4 | 0.5–0.7 | 0.6 | NO | Water additive for dental health |
| Sodium | ppm | NS | 20 | 23.5 | 23.5 | NO | Widely present in reservoirs |
| Total Trihalomethanes | ppb | 80 | NA | 20–52.7 | 45.2 | NO | By product of disinfection |
| Haloacetic Acids - 5 | ppb | 60 | NS | 4.6–20.8 | 15.0 | NO | By product of disinfection |
| Chlorine | ppm | 4.0 | 4.0 | 0.3–0.9 | 0.69 | NO | Disinfection |
In 2022, Winchester used 61% of its total water use through two MWRA connections. The remaining 39% was supplied through the Winchester Water Treatment Plant. During the year Winchester took 376 coliform samples which were tested. Results of all coliform samples were negative.
The Dam at the North Reservoir underwent a major rehabilitation this year to ensure compliance with The Office of Dam Safety. The rehabilitation of the dam will also help the Town supply high quality water to the residents of Winchester in the future. Winchester maintains 112 miles of water mains, approximately 900 fire hydrants and two storage tanks. Winchester has an active cross connection control program to protect the water system from any contamination. 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 this Report.
Updated June 9, 2023