Consumer Drinking Water Notice For Needham Residents

Press release from the Town of Needham:

May 17, 2020

Sunday, May 17, 2020 -- Some residents may notice an unusual odor in their tap water over the next several days. While it may have an odor, the water is safe to drink.

Due to a mechanical pump failure at Well 3, The Needham Water Department will need to activate our connection to MWRA earlier than expected. Typically, Needham supplies all its own water from our local wells for part of the year, supplementing local supplies with MWRA water during higher demand periods.

Normally MWRA and Needham flush the 48” pipeline that runs 2.5 miles from MWRA’s MetroWest tunnel in Weston to our pump station at St. Mary’s Street to freshen up the water prior to activating the connection. In fact, in anticipation of Needham taking water later this month, MWRA has been flushing the line. Unfortunately, the failure of our pump necessitates activating the connection prior to the flushing operation being complete in order to maintain proper water pressure and fire flow capability in town.

We have experienced the odor in the past when the connection needed to be activated prior to flushing, and it is often described as “tarry.” A review of sampling conducted during past episodes of the odor indicates that while it may be unpleasant, it does not exceed any EPA drinking water health advisory levels.

We apologize for the inconvenience. With the additional flushing, we anticipate that the odor will dissipate in a day or so. In the meantime, chilling the water in an open container or adding a squeeze of lemon or lime can help eliminate the odor.

If you have questions, please contact the water department: https://www.needhamma.gov/291/Water-Sewer-Drains-Division.

This press release was produced by the Town of Needham. The views expressed here are the author’s own.