LYNNFIELD — The Center Water District wants the glass of brown water that became a rallying point for Apple Hill residents angry over discolored water to become a distant memory.
District workers are studying options for improving water distribution and quality in the Apple Hill area, off Lowell and Chestnut Streets near the North Reading Line, said Superintendent John Scenna.
Working with CDM Smith, a consulting firm, Scenna said the District will investigate ways to deliver clearer water to Apple Hill residents living near the North Reading line. Scenna said in a statement that the District is looking to improve water quality as soon as possible, even as it looks at longer-term infrastructure improvements designed to improve water quality.
“We’re working to take proactive steps with our partners at CDM to ensure we fully understand the issues affecting our customers in the Apple Hill area and are doing everything feasible to address their concerns with long term solutions,” Scenna said.
Apple Hill residents are invited to attend a public workshop on Thursday, Dec. 12, 7 p.m., at the Lynnfield Meeting House to get an update on the water improvement effort and ask District representatives questions.
“It’s important for customers to know that they are not being ignored and that we have a plan in place to try to improve conditions and improve conditions and consistency in their water quality,” said District Board of Commissioners Chairman Robert Almy.
More than two dozen angry Apple Hill residents packed the District’s Board of Water Commissioners meeting room in September, 2018 to complain about discolored water that residents claimed they have endured for years.
Commission Chairwoman Constance Leccese told the residents the short term plan for improving water quality involved installing water filters in homes. The long range plan, she said, is constructing a water treatment plant at a cost of up to $5 million that would have to be approved by a majority of voters.
One of two water districts serving Lynnfield, the District provides water to residences and businesses in the northwest two-thirds of the town. The District is still trying to find the source of water discoloration in the Apple Hill area. Workers took water samples last month in Apple Hill neighborhoods testing for factors like iron and manganese levels, temperature, chlorine levels, alkalinity, oxygen content and color.
The testing was conducted prior to the fall flushing program, and a second round of testing this week will help provide engineers with a new set of data that will clarify the impact flushing had and guide their work going forward.
The District statement said homes picked for testing included ones with prior reports of water discoloration.
District workers will compare tests from locations around Apple Hill to try and pinpoint reasons for the discoloration. It plans to expand a pipe-flushing program designed to eliminate mineral deposits that build up periodically inside pipes.
“We’re committed to making this process as transparent and inclusive of customers as possible so that all of the stakeholders in this process have a better understanding of the issues and the scope of work that’s being done to address customer concerns,” Scenna said in the statement.
The District offers a filter rebate program available to customers with documented discoloration problems. For more information, visit lcwd.us/other-resources/filter-rebate/.
