The Topsfield Water Department has instituted a Voluntary Outdoor Water Restriction effective June 25, 2021. Water customers are asked to curtail any unnecessary outdoor water use between 9 AM and 5 PM each day when evaporation rates are the highest.  Necessary water use includes those needed for public safety, required by permit or to meet a core business function.

The restriction is being implemented due to concerns about declining stream flows, the availability of water as the summer progresses, higher than normal system demand, and keeping water withdrawals within mandated limits.  A mandatory restriction will likely be needed in a few weeks depending on weather.  

In addition to limiting 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 showerheads.
• Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator, rather than running the faucet.
• Consider replacing water intensive lawns with low water demand plants and grasses. The Water Department has several guide books that are available to residents.

Please call the Water Department at (978) 887-1517 if you have any questions.

Update September 13, 2021: The Select Board voted to remove the voluntary restriction due to high Ipswich River streamflow.

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.

Subscribe to our email list to receive water quality notices, daily hydrant flushing updates and water restriction information.

The Town of Topsfield is very pleased to announce the Water Department has received a grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the amount of $190,000 to evaluate potential removal technologies for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The funds will be used to pilot test several PFAS removal processes in our water treatment plant. The study will generate valuable information that is needed for the planning and design of possible plant modifications and allow the Town to make informed decisions concerning the costs and benefits of PFAS removal.

MassDEP's new PFAS regulations went into effect on October 1, 2020.  The average of our October and November tests exceeded the MCL of 20 nanograms per Liter.  This did not constitute a violation because the quarterly average needs to exceed 20 ng/L.  Preliminary results from December indicate the quarterly result is below the MCL. 

However, the regulations require we mail a letter to residents notifying them of the levels that were found.  Click here to view a copy of the letter. HTML version follows.

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.