The Water, Highway and Parks & Cemetery Departments share this site to provide information to the public. The departments are funded, operated and managed separately but often share equipment and resources. Each department is overseen by an elected board of three residents. Board members typically serve three year terms with one member being elected each year.The spring round of backflow device testing is underway. If you have not had your device tested yet and would like to use our Certified Backflow Prevention Device Tester then please call the Water Department.
Voluntary Water Restrictions 4/11
The Topsfield Water Department has implemented a Voluntary Outdoor Water Use Restriction effective April 11, 2012 due to low Ipswich River stream flow.
All town residents and businesses are asked to curtail nonessential outdoor water use between 9 A.M. and 5 P.M. each day. In addition to curtailing outdoor use the Water Department encourages the following conservation measures:
- Run your dishwasher and clothes washer only when full.
- Fix any leaks around the house.
- Install water efficient toilets, faucets and shower heads.
- Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator, rather than running the faucet.
- Consider replacing water intensive lawns with a xeriscape (low water demand) flower garden.
The voluntary restriction will be in place until stream flow recovers or mandatory restrictions are required by conditions set in our withdrawal permit. This restriction is much earlier than normal and it is possible that mandatory restrictions will begin as early as May 1st.
Spring 2012 Flushing Schedule
We will flush the water mains using a selected group of hydrants. Crews are scheduled to work between 9 P.M. and 1 A.M. on weeknights unless otherwise noted.
Below is the work schedule including the streets that will be flushed and streets that we expect to have discolored water. The schedule is subject to change based on weather, sediment loads and crew availablity. It will be updated on a daily basis. We have made several changes to the flushing process and schedule to help make sediment removal more efficient.
Only two nights are shown due to space constraints so please click the 'Read More' link below to see the full schedule.
If you would like to receive the updates via email please join our email list. Click here for more information.
| Date: | May 18, 2012 |
#18
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| Streets Flushed: | Grove Street, Fox Run Road, Homestead Way, Main Street (Grove Street to Prospect Street), Prospect Street and River Road | |
| Expected areas with discolored water (could be larger or smaller): | Grove Street, Fox Run Road, Homestead Way, Main Street (Grove Street to Prospect Street), Prospect Street and River Road (Washington Street to 68 River Road) | |
| Date: | May 21, 2012 |
#19
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| Streets Flushed: | Deer Run, Homestead Way, High Street (Washington Street to Boston Street) and Towne Lane | |
| Expected areas with discolored water (could be larger or smaller): | Deer Run, Homestead Way, High Street (Washington Street to Boston Street) and Towne Lane | |
Read more...
2012 Composting Schedule
The Topsfield Composting Center will open for the season on April 7, 2012. The Composting Facility is located at the Public Works Facility on Boston Street. There is a fee to drop off leaves and yard waste. Residents can go to the Selectmen's Office in Town Hall and purchase a Compost Access Ticket for $5.00. Each Ticket will allow the disposal of up to 2 cubic yards (a standard body pick up truck) of material per visit. Each visit will require a separate access ticket.
Seasonal stickers can be purchased at Town Hall. The cost is $45.
The Compost Center is open and staffed on Saturdays from 9 AM to 1 PM only. No weekday drop-off is permitted unless prior arrangements have been made. Any additional information can be obtained by calling the Highway Dept. at 978-887-1542.
Rowley Bridge Road Closed at Ipswich River
The Rowley Bridge Road bridge, spanning the Ipswich River, is closed until further notice due to structural concerns.
Discolored Water?
Is your water discolored water? It is not unusual for water to be discolored while we are flushing hydrants, after a water main break or during a fire. If your cold water is discolored at other times please give us a call or check our website for information about causes of system wide problems.
Hydrants are flushed twice per year to remove sediment in the water mains but deposits also form in water services and home plumbing. The If you find that the occurrences of discolored water do not coincide with flushing or main breaks and your neighbors do not have the same issue, it might be time to flush your water service.
We can flush the service for you by removing the water meter, attaching a hose and running the service at full pressure to scour the pipe wall. It takes about a half an hour and there is no charge for the work. We will need access to the water meter and someone over the age of 18 must be at home while the work is done. Please call (978) 887-1517 to schedule an appointment.
System Water Use
How much water does Topsfield use? Below is a chart that shows how much water was used on a daily basis for the past few weeks. The totals include all of the water consumed including water used by customers, leakage, flushing and fire fighting. The volumes on this chart are calculated using pump flow and tank level data from our control system. System demand is calculated by correcting withdrawal volumes for changes in storage tank levels.
Summer Regulatory Period
May 1st marks the beginning of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection's summer regulatory period. Our water withdrawal permit requires us to implement outdoor water use restrictions when Ipswich River stream flow falls below certain levels from May 1st through September 30th. The permit also restricts the amount of water we can pump during this period to an average of 0.55 million gallons per day.
Stream flow is measured at the United States Geological Survey's gauge station located just downstream of the dam near Foote Brothers Canoe Rental in Ipswich. Click here to view a full screen version of the chart.
A voluntary outdoor water use restriction is required if the average daily stream flow at the Ipswich Gauge drops below 70 cubic feet per second for three consecutive days. If the average daily stream flow continues to drop and falls below 52.5 cubic feet per second for three consecutive days then a mandatory restriction is required. The restrictions stay in effect until stream flow recovers and is above the trigger point for at least 10 consecutive days.
