Water

The Water Division

For several years, the Water Division has been recognized as a top-notch provider, winning numerous awards for water quality and service. A 2.1 million gallon concrete water tank is the heart of the system that provides water to 9,800 people in two communities, with an average daily flow of 1.1 million gallons of water. The system involves 74 miles of water main, more than 550 fire hydrants, and approximately 3,300 water services. The Division maintains the storage tank, operates four booster pumping stations, provides corrosion control, disinfecting and testing the water supply to meet high standards.

View the water regulations (PDF).
View Water and Sewer Rates (PDF).

The Water System

The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) supplies wholesale water to local water departments in 50 communities, 44 in greater Boston and MetroWest, 3 in Western Massachusetts, and as a back-up supply for 3 others. Each municipality is responsible for distributing the water within its own community. More than two million people are served by the MWRA water supply system.

Quabbin Reservoir is the primary source of water for our system and one of the country's largest water supply impoundments, with a capacity of 412 billion gallons. Quabbin water represents source water for the Chicopee Valley Aqueduct (CVA) system. Water is transferred from Quabbin Reservoir to the 65 billion gallon Wachusett Reservoir in Clinton via the Quabbin Aqueduct. Wachusett water represents source water for MetroWest and Metropolitan Boston communities.

The watershed areas of the Quabbin and Wachusett Reservoirs total 401 square miles. The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), which manages the watersheds, and MWRA are committed to protection of the water supply through aggressive watershed protection as the first line of defense against water contamination. Three-quarters of the watersheds are protected lands and over 80% are either forest or wetlands.

Please see our mapping of the Town water system.