LYNNFIELD — Mid-year leadership changes transformed the Lynnfield Center Water District (LWCD) from a municipal service mired in controversy to a utility provider winning praise from customers.
LCWD wrapped up 2019 by inviting Apple Hill residents to attend a Dec. 12 public workshop 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.
Contrast Almy’s tone with the angry voices dominating public comments during LCWD’s September, 2018 meeting about discolored water that residents claimed they have endured for years.
That meeting came just months before 2019 saw wholesale change in the agency’s leadership. Almy replaced Chairwoman Constance Leccese after she resigned in January. He was joined by Joseph T. Maney and Anders Youngren.
Also in January, former Commissioner Kenneth Burnham, who also served as the district’s water superintendent, retired.
John Scenna, a Lynnfield resident, took over as superintendent in September. Within two months, Scenna was informing Apple Hill residents about plans to end the discoloration.
One of two water districts serving Lynnfield, LWCD provides water to residences and businesses in the northwest two-thirds of the town.
LCWD draws upon existing wellfields to pump, treat and distribute water to its nearly 2,600 customers. Most of the water is pumped from the North Coastal Watershed (Saugus River), while other water comes from wells at Glen Drive and Main Street near Lowell Street within the Ipswich River Watershed.
LWCD is still trying to find the source of water discoloration in the Apple Hill area. Workers took water samples 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.
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.
Even as it seeks to end discoloration, LCWD is under pressure to find new water sources. The good news is the process could lead to a solution that ends summer lawn watering restrictions.
One option under consideration calls for LCWD to link up with the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) through pipelines in Saugus or Wakefield.
A second option involves drawing MWRA water through the Lynnfield Water District using existing infrastructure within Lynnfield’s borders. The third core option would be an investment by the LCWD in building additional wellfields and pumps within the less restricted Saugus River Watershed, while also constructing and improving filtration systems in the Ipswich River Watershed infrastructure.
The Ipswich River Watershed Association triggered the search for new water sources after Association representatives urged LCWD to find alternative sources – especially during the summer months.
“We’re working closely with our neighboring agencies to understand what’s most feasible, cost-effective and beneficial to all stakeholders as we evaluate the future needs of the District,” Scenna said, adding a
fourth water source option could involve combining elements of the other three options.
