MWRA Water System Expansion
MWRA recently completed three studies to assess the feasibility of expanding MWRA’s water system to the Metro West area (Acton, Ayer, Bedford, Chelmsford, Concord, Groton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hudson, Lincoln, Littleton, Maynard, Natick, Sherborn, Stow, Sudbury, Wayland, Wellesley, Westborough, Westford, and Weston), the Ipswich River Basin (Beverly, Danvers, Hamilton, Ipswich, Middleton, Lynn, Lynnfield Center Water District, Peabody, Salem, Topsfield, Wenham, Wilmington) and to the South Shore area (Abington, Avon, Brockton, Cohasset, Hanover, Hingham, Norwell, Scituate, Rockland, Weymouth, and the Former Naval Air Station). The South Shore feasibility study also looked at expanding MWRA’s wastewater system to the South Shore.
The MWRA Water and Wastewater Systems
Click on the map to enlarge.
As a regional supplier of water in Massachusetts, there are opportunities for MWRA to extend water service to communities within the three study areas. MWRA’s high quality source water is a result of our highly protected, forested watersheds. These watersheds act as a buffer against many contaminants, both regulated and unregulated. Additionally, MWRA’s water conservation efforts over the last several decades have resulted in an even more resilient water supply system able to withstand drought conditions and recover following a drought. The “Safe Yield” (i.e., the maximum withdrawal that can be made continuously from a water source or sources during a period of extended drought) for the MWRA system is 300 million gallons per day.
Water System Expansion Feasibility Studies
