SWAMPSCOTT — One of the most important things on this planet is water and the town recently received a grant to improve the water and sewer system.
Swampscott received the $150,000 grant from the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust, and the funds will go toward an asset management plan for the water, sewer and drain infrastructure system.
These funds will help Swampscott improve its understanding of current assets, develop an asset prioritization framework, create a funding plan for improvement and maintenance, as well as identify revenue sources that will balance near-term levels of service with long-term financial goals.
The town has quite the water and sewer system. There are 46 miles of gravity sewer mains connecting to approximately 4,554 accounts, while 57 miles of water mains connect to approximately 5,600 accounts, as well as 475 hydrants throughout the town.
“One of our greatest responsibilities as a town is to maintain these integral systems that provide critical services to our residents,” said Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald.
DPW Director Gino Cresta noted how important this asset management plan is to Swampscott’s water and sewer systems.
“This asset management plan will allow us to understand the status of ‘good repair.’ With this report, we can plan accordingly to ensure that we continue to enable the system to run efficiently and reliably even as they continue to age,” said Cresta.
The project is part of the Swampscott Capital Improvement Plan and a portion of funds for this project were appropriated at the town’s 2020 annual Town Meeting. The asset management planning will begin in October of 2021.
