On June 15, 2022, EPA issued new lifetime health advisories for four PFAS compounds.  The advisory publishes a level for each compound below which no adverse health effects are anticipated based on the best available science.  The new advisories are as follows:

PFOS - 0.02 parts per trillion.  This compound is regularly found in our water.  Over the past several years it has averaged 3.1 parts per trillion with a maximum of 7.2 parts per trillion.

PFOA - 0.004 parts per trillion.  This compound is also found in our water on a routine basis.  It has averaged 5.5 parts per trillion with a maximum of 13.6 parts per trillion.

PFBS - 2000 parts per trillion.  Also routinely found in our water with an average concentration of 2.0 parts per trillion.

GenX (HFPO-DA) - 10 parts per trillion.  This compound has not been detected in our water.

EPA's previous advisory for PFOS/PFOA was 70 parts per trillion, individually and combined so the new advisory levels are a very dramatic change.  The detection limit for these four compounds is approximately 1.7 parts per trillion.  The new PFOS/PFOA levels are far below our current ability to detect.

The 2021 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 Topsfield Water Department has implemented a Mandatory Outdoor Water Use Restriction effective June 1, 2022 due to very low Ipswich River stream flow, higher than normal water use and concerns about the availabilty of water.

Outdoor water use is restricted to hand-held implements only before 9 AM and after 5 PM.  The use of irrigations systems at any time is prohibited.  The restrictions apply to public water customers.

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.

The mandatory restrictions will be in effect until further notice but typically run through the end of September.  

The 2020 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.

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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:

Our water system uses groundwater wells to supply water for our customers.  The water undergoes a variety of treatment processes to improve its quality in order to meet drinking water regulations. 

The first process is natural filtration through the sand and gravel deposits near the wells.  As water travels from the land surface towards the wells, the naturally occuring sand and gravel deposits filter out many contaminants including coliform bacteria, vegetative debris, and others that are commonly found on the surface of the ground or in nearby surface water bodies.

Once the water is in our supply system it travels to the water treatment plant for additional treatment including disinfection, pH adjustment, greensand filtration, aeration, fluoridation and sequestration/corrosion control.  The raw water is treated in the following order:

We conduct hundreds of water quality tests each year. Results are now available on our Water Quality Site which includes information about which water sources are in use. The site has been under development for several years and more functionality will be added as time permits.