Asbury Street Road Closure:

The Asbury Street Bridge Replacement Project is scheduled to begin August 5th and is expected to last 120 calendar days. Asbury Street will be closed from Ipswich Road to the entrance of Bradley Palmer State Park until the project is completed. Residences, businesses and the park will only be accessible from the Hamilton side of Asbury Street. Please call David Bond, Highway Superintendent, at (978) 887-1543 if you have any questions.

Street Sign Auction:

Are you interested in a piece of Topsfield history? As part of the Street Sign Replacement Program, the Town of Topsfield will be accepting bids for the "old" green street signs. All of the proceeds will go to the Town of Topsfield Scholarship Fund. This program will continue as the remaining street signs are replaced over the next few years. Street signs will be awarded to the highest bidder. Click here for more detials.

General Information:

A summary page is available that describes the Highway Department's staffing, duties, and resources.

Mandatory Outdoor Water Use Ban in Effect:

Due to conditions set in the Town's water withdrawal permit which require restrictions during periods of low Ipswich River streamflow, a Mandatory Outdoor Water Use Ban is now in effect. Click here to view the public notice. Recent amendments to the Water Restriction Bylaw requiring private well owners adhere to the mandatory restirctions will not take affect until the changes are approved by the Attorney General later this summer. As a result, private well users are asked to follow these restrictions but are not required to at this time.

Ban Conditions:

Nonessential outdoor water use is prohibited between the hours of 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. and is limited to hand-held hoses only from 5 P.M. to 9 A.M. the following day. The use of automatic irrigation systems at any time is prohibited.

Cause:

The restrictions are required because tbe average daily streamflow recorded at the USGS Ipswich Gauge Station has fallen below 52.5 cubic feet per second for three consectutive days. Flows below this level are not sufficiant for aquatic life.

Duration:

The ban will be in effect until river flow is above the trigger point for a sufficient period of time. The Board of Water Commissioners reviews the need for the restrcitions at their monthly meeting typically held on second Wednesday of each month.

Chart Information:

This chart displays the average daily streamflow for the Ipswich River as recorded at the USGS gauge located in Ipswich, MA. The site has been in operation since the 1930s and is now equiped with satellite communications which posts a flow reading every 15 minutes. A mandatory water ban is required if the flow drops below 52.5 cubic feet per second (cfs) for three consecutive days.

Perchlorate Notice:

Please visit the water quality section for more information about Perchlorate.

Water Quality Report:

The water quality report for 2007 is available online. Copies were mailed to our customers earlier this month. If you did not receive your copy or need additional copies please visit the Public Works Facility. Click here to view the web version.

Billing Schedule:

Beginning in July 2008, the majority of our customers will be billed on a quarterly basis. Each quarter contains 3 billing cycles. Cycle #1 customers will be billed in January, April, July and October. Cycle #2 customers will be billed in February, May, August and November. Cycle #3 customers will be billed in March, June, September and December. Please view the cycle map to see when you will receive your water bill.

Water Withdrawals and River Flows:

Many of the resources used to track water levels, rainfall amounts, and system demand are available on the web. The U.S. Geological Survey operates two real-time gauge stations on the Ipswich River, one is in South Middleton and the other is in Ipswich. Visit our withdrawal page for more information

Water Quality Study:

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental has approved our permit application to add a sequestrant to our water treatment regime. We are in the process of installing the system at one of the pump stations. The sequestrant will keep manganese in solution thereby reducing the amount of sediment in the distribution system.

Water Usage Statistics:

Do you own a single family residence in Topsfield and want to know how you water usage compares to the rest of the Town? Click here to view a water usage histogram for 2006.