drinking water

Randolph and Holbrook Under Boil Water Order after Loss of Pressure at Treatment Plant

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, July 10 2019

Contact: John Guilfoil

Phone: 781-752-9877
Email: [email protected]

Randolph and Holbrook Under Boil Water Order after Loss of Pressure at Treatment Plant

RANDOLPH — The Randolph/Holbrook Joint Water Board reports that the Town of Randolph and Town of Holbrook are under a town-wide boil water order after an issue at the Randolph/Holbrook Joint Water Treatment Plant.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection issued the order Wednesday after a loss of pressure due to a mechanical fault at the water treatment plant.

A loss of pressure at a water treatment plant increases the likelihood that bacteria could enter the water system. In order to mitigate this risk, DEP has issued the boil water water.

Residents and business owners are advised that they should boil tap water for drinking and other human consumption uses like cooking, brushing teeth and hand washing.

Crews are working to restore water pressure to normal levels. The boil water order will be lifted once normal pressure levels are reached and sample testing confirms the absence of any contaminants.

The joint treatment plant is located on Pond Street in Randolph.

Updates will be provided as repair work progresses. Residents may also visit the Randolph and Holbrook town websites for more information,

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Andover Provides Update on Discolored Drinking Water

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Town of Andover
Andrew P. Flanagan, Town Manager
36 Bartlet St.
Andover, MA 01810

townsealandoverFor Immediate Release

Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

 Andover Provides Update on Discolored Drinking Water

ANDOVER — Town Manager Andrew P. Flanagan reports that Andover officials are actively monitoring the issue causing discoloration in tap water, and stresses that there is no risk to public health.

Over the past two weeks, the Town of Andover has received a number of calls from community members reporting discolored water.

The cause is due to a sharp increase in local water use. Officials have noted a 20 percent increase in pumping from the Water Treatment Plant for July 2018 compared to July 2017.

The town deploys a comprehensive unidirectional flushing program for the purpose of mitigating discolored water. However, this year’s significant increase in usage over July of 2017 has resulted in an extended period of discoloration.

During peak demand times, typically mornings, significant amounts of water are being drawn from town tanks to residences and businesses. Simultaneously, the Water Treatment Plant is pumping water in order to refill the tanks, meaning the distribution system is seeing a very large volume of water go through it at once.

Similar to when fire hydrants are flushed, the water velocity increases during peak demand, which causes sediment in the bottom of the water mains to become suspended. This results in the discoloration residents are seeing in their taps. When the velocity slows down, the sediment settles, only reappearing during the next high demand period.

To help better address the issue, all calls are being logged at the Water Treatment Plant for tracking. Officials are seeing a trend of discolored water in the mornings, with clear tap water reported by the afternoon. If your water continues to be discolored in the afternoon, please contact the Water Department in order to further diagnose the issue.

“We understand this can be frustrating for residents and business owners, but we want to stress that there is no risk to public health,” Town Manager Flanagan said. “We appreciate community members’ patience as we work to offset the impacts of the increase in water usage.”

Community members who experience discolored water should:

  • If the water is discolored in the morning, run cold water to help flush out the system.
  • Take note of the time of day that the discoloration was noticed.
  • Determine if the discoloration is isolated to the cold or hot water.
  • If the issue persists, call the Water Department at 978-623-8860.

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Rochester to Host New Hampshire Water Works Association Meeting

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City of Rochester
Daniel Fitzpatrick, City Manager
31 Wakefield Street
Rochester, NH 03867

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, April 14, 2017

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Rochester to Host New Hampshire Water Works Association Meeting 

ROCHESTER, N.H. — Director of City Services John Storer is pleased to announce that the City of Rochester will host the Spring Technical Meeting for the New Hampshire Water Works Association (NHWWA) next week.

A nonprofit organization, NHWWA consists of municipal and community water systems whose members work to improve the water supply service in New Hampshire through discussions on issues and problems, training programs and seminars, and legislative action.

NHWWA holds three technical meetings per year. They are designed to provide a hands-on experience of the technical components of plant operations, and to present on current topics of interest and concern in the industry to water professionals, including managers, supervisors, commissioners, engineers and support and regulatory members.

This will be the first NHWWA meeting hosted by Rochester since the commissioning and groundbreaking tour of the original facility in 1987, and marks 30 years of technological improvements and commitment to providing safe drinking water to the community.

WHEN:

Thursday, April 20, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

WHERE:

First Session: Rochester Drinking Water Treatment Facility, 64 Stafford Road – Route 202A.
Second Session: Governor’s Inn, 78 Wakefield St.

WHAT:

At 9 a.m., Richard Davee, Chris Berg and Jeff Normandin will lead a presentation on Rochester’s recent investments in water infrastructure. Davee is the vice president of Wright-Pierce, a leading engineering firm that provides solutions for water systems across the east coast. Berg is a project manager at Wright-Pierce and Normandin is a geographic information system manager for Wright-Pierce.

Ian Rohrbacher, the chief operator of Rochester’s water system and president of NHWWA, will give a tour of the Rochester Drinking Water Treatment Facility at 9:45 a.m. Highlights will include a basic history of the water system, an explanation of the treatment process from watershed to tap and recent innovations and improvements throughout the facility.

After a break and relocation to the Governor’s Inn, Rohrbacher will be joined by Brendan Kernan, a hydrogeologist for the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, for a presentation on the drought of 2016 and what the department plans to do for the summer of 2017.

The meeting will wrap up with a legislative update at noon covering pending regulations at the state and national level.

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Andover Public Schools Provide Update on Water Testing

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ANDOVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Sheldon Berman, Superintendent
36R Bartlet St.
Andover, MA 01810

For Immediate Release

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Andover Schools Provide Update on Water Testing

ANDOVER — Superintendent of Schools Sheldon Berman reports that the Andover Public Schools are continuing to take action to eliminate lead and copper from water systems after elevated levels were found at two schools earlier this year.

Officials have removed several outdated and broken water fixtures from the West Elementary School and Shawsheen Preschool after elevated lead levels were found in fixtures at the West Elementary and elevated copper was found in a fixture at the Shawsheen.

In addition to removing these fixtures, filters are being installed on five water fountains at the West Elementary School. Even though the old fountains were found to be below the state limits for lead, school officials believe that the filters will further increase the purity and safety of the water, while offering peace of mind. Aggressive follow-up testing was conducted Tuesday, March 21 on all fixtures at the West Elementary School. The results are due in April.

The School Department continues to deal with one problematic site. A fixture was removed from room C12 at the West Elementary School and replaced with a new fixture, but it still showed elevated lead levels. The plumbing and copper pipes feeding that fixture were replaced, and the lead levels actually rose. The fixture is currently off limits, and the facilities department is investigating a number of possible causes.

The school department does not believe that there is any risk to the health and safety of students, faculty and staff but is continuing to take precautions to ensure safety. In addition, Superintendent Berman has included the water quality reports in the Statement of Interest that will soon be submitted to the Massachusetts School Building Authority as part of a proposal to renovate or replace the West Elementary School.

“While the Andover Public Schools will do everything it can today to ensure the safety of our students and the purity of the water that used for drinking, cooking, and cleaning, we acknowledge that the West Elementary School building is nearing the end of its service life,” Superintendent Berman said.

The high levels of lead and copper seen in tests are not coming from the town’s water supply, but rather they are directly correlated to the age and lack of use of the fixtures themselves. The schools also do not have any lead pipes.

The Andover Public Schools are notifying all families and staff about the tests results via Connect5 and through a news release to the media. The schools are also planning to hold a public forum for parents, which will include representatives from the schools, facilities, Health Division, and Public Works Department.

Those seeking additional information may download fact sheets on lead levels and copper levels in drinking water, which contain information from the Department of Environmental Protection. If anyone has any questions or concerns, they may also call Superintendent Berman’s Office at 978-247-7010.

Click here to download this press release in PDF form on Andover Public Schools letterhead.

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