Milton Community Letter 2023

Town of Milton
Department of Public Works
629 Randolph Avenue, Milton, MA 02186
Tel: 617-898-4900 Fax: 617-698-1290
www.townofmilton.org

Public Water Supply
# 3189000

Dear Milton Residents:

The enclosed annual water quality report provides important information pertaining to the quality of water supplied by the Town of Milton in partnership with the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023. The MWRA is the only source of water distributed by the Town of Milton. Milton used an average of 1.71 million gallons (about 6.5 million liters) of water daily in 2023.

Milton’s water distribution system is comprised of over 130 miles of water mains, 1,200 fire hydrants, 2,300 gate valves and nearly 9,000 water services. The system takes water from the MWRA and delivers it to homes, businesses, and other facilities for drinking water, sanitation, and commercial use. The system also provides fire protection to Milton properties. The Town is constantly improving our system by performing annual leak detection surveys to reduce water waste and by daily review of the security of the water system facilities. Public Works Department crews are continuously performing maintenance activities to ensure the reliability of our water system and the best water quality. The good news is that Milton continues to provide clean, safe quality drinking water for the essential daily needs of our residential and commercial customers in conformity with stringent state and federal guidelines. In 2023, we invested $2.3 million dollars in the water system, this included water main replacement on various streets throughout Town. These improvements will enable us to continue to provide reliable water distribution and fire protection.

The results of the September 2023 Lead and Copper Testing Program indicate the Town of Milton has once again achieved its goal of staying under the 15 ppb (parts per billion) Action Level for lead with a 90th percentile result of 6.6 ppb and under the 1300 ppb Action Level for copper with a 90th percentile result of 137 ppb.

MWRA and Milton routinely test 8 to 10 water samples each week for total coliform bacteria to monitor the water quality in the distribution system. The MassDEP requires that no more than 5% of the samples in any one-month period be positive. Milton had no positive test results for Total Coliform in 2023, and there were no violations of the Total Coliform Rule.

The Milton DPW oversees a Cross Connection Control Program for all industrial, commercial, municipal, and institutional facilities. We have a certified backflow tester and cross connection control surveyor on our staff, and all surveying and testing is performed in accordance with the cross-connection section (310 CMR 22.22) of the state Drinking Water Regulations. Residents should be aware that pollution can come from their own homes. For instance, if you were planning to spray fertilizer on your lawn, you might hook your hose to the sprayer that contains the fertilizer. If the water pressure were to suddenly drop due to a water main break or fire hydrant use in Town, the fertilizer could be sucked back into the drinking water pipes through the hose. Using an attachment on your hose called a backflow prevention device can prevent this problem. The Public Works Department recommends that homeowners install backflow devices, such as hose bib vacuum breakers, for all inside and outside hose connections.

If you have any questions or comments on your water, would like more information, or want to know about town meetings, please visit our website:
www.townofmilton.org or call us at 617-898-4900.

Sincerely,
The Milton Public Works Department