The Topsfield Water Department has implemented a Mandatory Total Outdoor Use Ban due to a critical drought in northeastern Massachusetts.

All non-essential outdoor water use is prohibited until further notice.  Essentail uses include those uses required to meet a core business function, required by permit or regulation or required for public safety and/or public health.  All other uses are prohibited.  Washing cars, filling skating rinks, etc. are non-essential uses.

The restriction applies to all water users in Topsfield, including private well owners.

In addition to curtailing outdoor use the Water Department encourages the following conservation measures:

• Run your dishwasher and clothes washer only when full.
• Fix any leaks around the house.
• Install water efficient toilets, faucets and shower heads.
• Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator, rather than running the faucet.
• Consider replacing water intensive lawns with a xeriscape (low water demand) flower garden.

 Please visit https://www.mass.gov/info-details/drought-status for information about the drought.

As required by MassDEP and US EPA, customers will receive a notice from the Water Department if their water service contains unknown materials which may contain lead.  Approximately 70% of our customers will receive the notice.  Historically, Topsfield has only allowed copper or plastic pipe for service line construction.  Recent changes to lead and copper regulations required the Water Department to inventory all service lines and document what materials were used for each service.

The Water Department completed the intitial water service line inventory and submitted the results to MassDEP on October 14, 2024.  The effort identified approximately 1,300 service connections out of 1,900 that had unknown materials.  Customers served by these lines will be notified by mid-November 2024 that part or all of their service is constructed of an unknown material which may contain lead.  The letter will include a link to a crowd source application where customers can submit photos of their service line so we can identify the material.  They may also make appointments to have it inspected in person.

Click here to view the Town's Stormwater Management Plan.  The plan was last updated in June 2023.

The Select Board has set the FY2025 water rates.   The FY2025 rate schedule is available online.  The rates are based on the budget approved at Town Meeting in May 2024 and the water use forecast for FY2025.

The 2023 Water Quality Report is available online.  Copies will be mailed to customers and will also be available at the Water Department Office once they are printed.  Please visit our water quality website http://watertesting.topsfieldpublicworks.org for more water testing results.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the final PFAS regulations on April 10, 2024.  The regulations were initally issued in draft form during 2023.

EPA Regulations

The new EPA regulations set Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid) at 4 parts per trillion (ppt); PFNA (perfluorononanoic acid), PFHxS (perfluorohexanesulfonic acid), and GenX (hexafluoroproplene oxide) at 10 ppt; and a hazard index for mixtures of PFNA, PFHxS, GenX and PFBS.

The new regulations are being phased into effect.  Systems are required to start testing for these compounds within 3 years, report the results in the annual Water Quality Report, and notify customers of any violations.  Systems have 5 years to comply with the new MCLs by either installing appropriate treatment or finding alternative PFAS-free water supplies.

The regulations also created Maximum Contaminant Level Goals (MCLGs) for PFOS and PFOA of 0 ppt.  This means that EPA would like to eliminate PFOS and PFOA from water supplies accross the country but current testing protocols, treatment methods, and economic conditions make it infeasible.  We expect the MCLs to drop as testing and treatment methods improve.

Our offices are staffed during normal business hours.  If you need to contact us after hours for downed tree blocking a road, low water pressure, or to report a water main break call 911.  The Town is part of the Essex County Regional Communications Center and using 911 is the only way to contact us after hours.

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We receive calls about higher than normal water bills on a regular basis. Under normal circumstances we’d schedule an appointment to visually check the meter, look for leaks, etc. However, we are not entering homes or businesses for the foreseeable future unless it’s for an emergency.

When confronted with a high bill, customers often ask questions such as where did the water go or how could I possibly use that much water. Well the simplest answer is that from the limited information available, there is really no possible way for us to know where the water went once it went through the meter. The information used to generate the bill – start and end meter readings can be augmented with one or two readings taken during the billing cycle and that is about it. A similar question would be where did I drive my car over the past 3 months based on start/end odometer readings. The result would be a similar answer - we don’t know where you went, just how far.

However, if monthly readings are available then the pattern and volume of use may make one explanation more reasonable than others but in the end it’s our best guess. In some cases, an explanation can’t be found and it comes down to meter accuracy – did the water go through the meter or not. Meters are typically pulled and sent to a vendor for testing when this occurs. 

 Once the readings are verified then we can start asking questions such as: