Winchester Community Letter 2023

Town of Winchester 

Department of Public Works

Public Water Supply
# 3344000

Dear Customer,
The 2023 Drinking Water Report provides information 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 on this communication. This report provides information on Winchester’s and MWRA’s source water reservoirs, and our compliance with all federal and state testing regulations.

Winchester’s water comes from both town reservoirs located in the Middlesex Fells Reservation and MWRA. In 2023, Winchester used 53% of its total water use through two MWRA connections. The remaining 47% was 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 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.

The Winchester water system is made up of three pressure distribution networks. 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, work to ensure our drinking water meets the highest standards. The following describes system improvements over the last few years:

•  In 2023 The Town of Winchester installed a bubble aeration system outside the South reservoir screenhouse to help mitigate manganese concentrations in the reservoir.
• The Town of Winchester has entered into the Lead Service Replacement Program with the MWRA. After continued lead neck removal as of 2023 there are only approximately 100 lead necks remaining in town.
• In 2023 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 rehabilitation of the dam at the North Reservoir was completed this year to ensure compliance with the Office of Dam Safety.
• Annual system-wide hydrant flushing was also performed.

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. Winchester took 376 coliform samples. The results of all coliform samples were negative. After receiving a 3-year monitoring waiver from the DEP due to 90% of samples not exceeding the action level, the Town collected Lead and Copper samples in 2023. See below for results.

* Secondary Maximum contaminant Levels are guidance levels related to taste, color and odor.

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.