LYNN — The Lynn Water & Sewer Commission is preparing to move forward with improvements tied to the Ipswich River Project, an effort connected to broader, long-standing initiatives to protect and restore the river.
This project is the result of a grant received in 2024, when the Healey-Driscoll Administration awarded $200,000 to the LWSC for the South Middleton Dam Removal Project.
That year, the Commonwealth also distributed more than $2.4 million to 19 municipalities through funding provided by the Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Ecological Restoration.
At the Feb. 9 LWSC Commission meeting, LWSC Water Treatment Superintendent Matt Comeau said the project recently went out to bid. Sub-bids were due Feb. 12, and general bids are due Feb. 19.
“We’ll move forward on that, and (we’re) taking several contractors out for site visits to see what’s needed to be done there,” Comeau said.
The project centers on infrastructure upgrades along the Ipswich River, particularly improvements to aging equipment at the pumping station.
“We’re upgrading the pump,” Comeau said.
According to Comeau, the upgrades are intended to maintain operations as older systems are phased out “so that we are able to still pump from Ipswich. And then we’re gonna have the other pumps, as well, because the pumps are original to the station from 1915.”
In addition to pump upgrades, the effort is closely tied to the removal of the Boston Dam along the lower middle section of the river. The dam removal will require adjustments to piping and pumping infrastructure to maintain water flow to the City’s system.
Comeau explained that the Lynn reservoir draws its water from both the Ipswich and Saugus rivers. The pipeline connecting the reservoir to the Ipswich River runs through Lynnfield and spans approximately 5 miles.
The project will begin this summer.
